HandMADE Montana By the Numbers
2021 will go down in the books as quite a year—a year of growth, recovery, gratitude, and so much more. This past year, we were fortunate to connect artists with customers in-person again at our MADE fairs after having canceled everything in 2020. The MADE fair is a modern handcrafted market featuring a curated collection of local and regional artists. Our mission is to increase awareness of handmade goods as an alternative to mass-produced items and support local and regional small craft businesses by providing a place to sell their goods. We offer opportunities to artists of all levels—the hobbyist to the seasoned professional. Our brick-and-mortar shop in Polson has been growing in popularity, and we are adding a dozen more artists to the mix for 2022 and offering a more comprehensive selection of goods to purchase both in-store and online. We love to provide opportunities for creatives, and we have gotten feedback that this was a record-breaking year for most. We have read the surveys, emails, gathered the numbers, written checks to non-profits, and are very proud of the following numbers:
4 events were successfully organized and presented by handMADE Montana
412 artists provided opportunities at our events and retail store
2283 pounds of food donated at our fall & holiday MADE fairs
7750 dollars raised for Thrive (Bozeman) & Jeannette Rankin Peace Center (Missoula) via the VIP passes
1.6 Million estimated dollars of revenue generated for local & regional artists at our MADE fairs in Missoula, Bozeman, and Helena and our retail store in Polson, MT
As we look forward to 2022, we are making plans to tweak events for both artists and customers attending, and we will be adding a Bozeman Spring MADE fair in May to jump-start the market season. When planning our events and selecting dates, we are often at the mercy of the facility's fluctuating sports schedules. We feel a spring show is perfectly timed to find something special for Mother's Day or that recent graduate. We are introducing a special Friday Night Preview to give those wanting a more intimate shopping experience with more details to come. Last year we raised over $3000 for Bozeman's THRIVE (support and mentoring program for children and families) via the $10 VIP pass. We will continue to partner with a local organization to offer early access shopping on Saturday morning, 9 am-10 am!
Another slight shift is changing our Helena Holiday MADE fair to a 1-day event with an evening preview the Friday before. We respond to what our artists tell us and how the community supports events. Our holiday show in Missoula will always remain a 1-day event due to a possible football playoff game on Saturday. We will be able to load in on Saturday, but we can't be guaranteed to have the whole day until weeks before.
2022 MADE fair Dates/Hours
Bozeman Spring // Brick Breeden : May 6-7 // $10 VIP PASS FRI 7 pm-9 pm // $5 EARLY BIRD PASS SAT 9 am - 10am // FREE ENTRY 10am-4pm
Missoula Summer // Caras Park: June 19 // 10 am- 4 pm
Bozeman Fall: TBA
Helena Holiday // Lewis & Clark Fairgrounds: Dec 2-3 // $10 VIP PASS FRI 7 pm-9 pm // $5 EARLY BIRD PASS SAT 9 am - 10am // FREE ENTRY 10am-4pm
Missoula Holiday // Adams Center: Dec 11 // $10 VIP PASS 10 am- 11am // FREE 11 am- 5 pm
