$a display of cards, stickers, pins, and votive candles for sale. the items carry slogans like \"support local artists,\" \"feminist,\" \"body positive\" and \"resist.\"$

Credit: Ashley Anderson

Crafty Wonderland

Portland’s biannual art and craft fair boasts unique handmade wares from 225+ local vendors.

3 min read

Ellen Freeman

Portland jewelry artists Torie Nguyen and Cathy Zwicker were tired of craft fairs and holiday markets getting rained out, so they created Crafty Wonderland, an indoor marketplace to support PDX makers and artists. “We decided to start it before someone else did,” Nguyen said.

Crafty Wonderland Art & Craft Markets

Know Before You Go

Tickets to the Crafty Wonderland Holiday Art + Craft Market must be purchased in advance and cost $4. Entries are timed to prevent overcrowding.

A limited number of $25 tickets are available for a Friday night preview event for those wishing to shop early, and one free drink is included.

Founded in 2006, Crafty Wonderland is now the city’s biggest arts and crafts market, drawing hundreds of vendors and tens of thousands of visitors to the (nice and dry) Oregon Convention Center in Northeast Portland. The twice-yearly market returns in early December and May (just in time for holiday shopping and Mother’s Day, respectively).

Crafty Wonderland began as a “pure DIY” production with 40 vendors and a couple hundred shoppers and has since grown into an extravaganza of creativity. “It totally blows our minds that the little show we started in 2006 has transformed into what it is today,” Zwicker said.

a woman surrounded by Portland tote bags and other Portland clothes and merch holds up a print of a Portland bridge — Co-founder Cathy Zwicker shows off some of the Portland-themed products sold at Crafty Wonderland.

At Crafty Wonderland’s markets, you can find products like illustrated portraits of punk rock cats and hipster triceratopses, pins, patches and prints, and elemental brass and copper metalwork combined with geodes and gemstones. (That’s not to mention a slew of clever t-shirts, unique stationery, funky pet accessories, small-batch mustards and nut butters, craft spirits, natural soaps, terrariums and more.)

Nguyen and Zwicker rotate the artists at each market — so even if you’ve attended a previous Crafty Wonderland, you’ll always find something new.

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“We like to think there’s something there for everyone,” Nguyen said. “Sometimes having a face to put with a piece of art or knowing you’ve met the person who made your new favorite earrings makes them that much more special.”

Frequently Asked Questions about Crafty Wonderland

Is there food available on-site?

Food is available for purchase through the Oregon Convention Center‘s on-site restaurants and cafes. No outside food is allowed and snacks purchased from vendors must be consumed off-site.

Is there parking available?

There are parking garages available at the Convention Center but parking can be tricky at peak times depending on what other events are taking place in the area. Crafty Wonderland encourages attendees to take public transportation, ride share or carpool when possible.

How often are the craft and holiday markets?

The Crafty Wonderland craft fairs and holiday markets are held twice a year, in May and December. Crafty Wonderland also has brick-and-mortar stores that are open year-round at locations Downtown and in the Alberta Arts District.

In today’s online shopping milieu, Crafty Wonderland is a unique chance to support and connect with local makers. And across the table, the market offers accessible booth fees so that emerging artists are equally represented. “Markets like Crafty Wonderland provide a venue where artists can make a living selling their work,” Zwicker said, noting that many of the makers who got their start at the market have grown to full-time businesses.

While you’re there, stop by the kids’ area where little entrepreneurs sell their creations, inspired by the market’s early days when Zwicker’s now-grown-up son would sell his art. “We never know what they will come with — magnets, cards, jewelry, paintings and slime,” Zwicker said.

“It’s definitely a feast for the eyes and a big inspiration to see so much creativity in one place,” Nguyen said. “Portland is fertile ground for all creative pursuits.” She and Zwicker even joke that the rain — which provided the motivation for Crafty Wonderland in the first place— “gives everyone lots of time to practice their crafty hobbies indoors.”

Portland Open Studios

For two weekends every October, Portland Open Studios invites visitors to explore the houses and offices of artists across the city.

A wall of ceramic art and plants in a ceramic studio.

Makers

Portland is a hub for artists, entrepreneurs and creators alike, with community studios, warehouses and makerspaces that let you DIY your way around town.

Visit a Crafty Wonderland Brick and Mortar

In recent years, Nguyen and Zwicker have turned Crafty Wonderland into a year-round business, opening brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Portland and Northeast Portland’s Alberta Arts District.

shoppers browse a shop packed with locally-made goods. — Shoppers browse locally-made wares at Crafty Wonderland’s downtown brick-and-mortar.

At the shops, an Oregon flag is displayed across from a tattoo-inspired mural by Jennifer Parks of Spectral Gardens. Shoppers listen to Beyoncé spinning on vinyl while perusing wares like Pacific Northwest-themed watercolors and plant holders painted with faces — plus many more locally made treasures to show your hometown pride or serve as a souvenir of a trip to Portland.

“We love being able to say that our shop is completely locally made goods,” Zwicker said. So, even if you can’t make it to a market event, Crafty Wonderland is “the best place for the perfect Portland souvenir.”

Events, Makers, Shopping, Spring, Winter