Craft Culture
For festivals celebrating the handmade arts, Greenville’s Indie Craft Parade sets the bar
By Angie Toole Thompson
You never forget your first Indie Craft Parade. Mine was in 2012. It would have been tough to miss the bright-colored pennant flags crisscrossing the sidewalk as I walked up to the Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. Inside, more of those colorful pennants rippled above rows of local artists and makers, all showing and selling their handmade wares to a mass of eager, smiling people. To a then-24-year-old Tumblr-era girl just returning from northern California, it was a sight that didn’t just scratch a timely, mid-aughts DIY itch in me—it signified a community-driven creative evolution in my beloved hometown.
And by that point, the craft fair already had two years under its belt.
The paintings of Jessica Leitko Fields are distinct in their capture of ordinary wonder with generous, color-forward texture. The Greenville artist wields her palette knife on pieces big and small and very small—making it oh-so-easy for anyone to be the proud owner of her work.
“We only ever planned to do it once,” says Indie Craft Parade (ICP) co-founder Lib Ramos. “We never thought it would be a recurring thing, until we were standing there [looking at] a line of people out the door.” There was a clear cultural appetite for all things handmade in those days—DIY blogs soared; Etsy had just become a household name—and Ramos and her co-founders Erin Godbey and Jen Moreau saw the hand-drawn typeface on the wall. They came by it honestly (each of the founding women of ICP is a bonafide maker, too). The community of artists, designers, and craftspeople was their community, which meant Indie Craft Parade was more than a craft fair—it was a scene.
“It all boils down to community support.”
Twenty Two West is the kind of quintessential maker you hope to see at a craft fair. Unique statement earrings, playful cocktail rings, and necklaces with handmade ceramic charms fill the booth of this Charlotte, NC, Indie Craft Parade veteran.
The festival has been a stalwart for creative small businesses through their annual main event, a dedicated Emerging Artist section, seasonal markets, and efforts like the WNC Market benefitting artists who were affected by Hurricane Helene. “We have this wonderful, beautiful ecosystem of local businesses that [exchange] support,” says Ramos. That support is more important now than ever. “This year is a hard one for arts organizations,” admits Ramos, noting that procuring grants and scholarships is far more difficult than it was in ICP’s previous years. “It all boils down to community support,” she says.
These bold, bright Knook Ceramics by Asheville’s Diana Hoover “explore the interaction of contemporary craft with fine art and design.”
Community support—that’s how Indie Craft Parade was born, and that’s how it will continue. It’s creative individuals with the spark of an idea and the courage to let it manifest. It’s the response from a community with reverence for what’s real and beautiful. It’s our capacity as neighbors to find value in the work of our hands and see beauty in leaning on each other. V
The signature wristlet keyring from Avryn Co. is designed for busy moms by a busy mom, though it’s a game changer for anyone who is prone to chanting “phone, keys, wallet” as they leave the house.
Indie Craft Parade will be held on September 12–14 at Judson Mill (701 Easley Bridge Rd, Greenville, SC). Get first dibs at the aptly named First Dibs Party on Friday from 5–9pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival is open for general admission (Saturday, 10am–5pm, and Sunday, 10am–4pm).
Photography courtesy of Jessica Fields, Twenty Two West, Knook Ceramics, and Avryn Co. This story appears in our Fall 2025 issue.