Chocolate-covered blueberries, twee little knickknacks, chunky reindeer sweaters and . . . prêt-à-porter?
Believe it or not, craft shows, particularly larger ones like Toronto's One of a Kind, are the latest tiny secret of boutique shoppers after original clothing and accessories.
Case in point: the Spring One of a Kind's promo materials have eschewed Canadiana birdhouses for a picture of a brightly coloured ring, and shoppers may find themselves wandering through the show's new "fashion district" and catching glimpses of fashion shows throughout the event. It's a brave new glam craft world.
"We really have this little treasure of designers," says Patti Stewart, director of Toronto's One of a Kind, which also stages editions in Montreal and Chicago. "I think people are pleasantly surprised. I buy tons of my clothes and accessories from the show, and every time I wear something people say, 'That's great! Where did you get it?' "
"It's nice because a lot of trendy young girls come to this show," says Jody Mitchell of Vancouver's Nanna Bags. "That's what sets it apart from being a normal craft show. These girls know about the show as being super hot."
Adam Quang, the Montreal clothing designer behind Aqu, said that last year he had a "TV star" at his Toronto booth who felt like she had found a private goldmine. "She was like: 'Where have you been?' "
It makes sense. What fashionette doesn't love exclusivity? "It's so delicious when you find that one fabulous piece that nobody else has," Stewart confesses.
It's a good opportunity for the designers too, particularly small operations that sell out of their studios or have a limited wholesale business. Not only do they use the show to suss out accounts, they do big business.
Tomoko Kitai, who crafts beautiful clothes and bags called Momo from kimonos, does 70 per cent of her business at the One of a Kind Christmas and Spring shows.
Dushka Vujovic, the silversmith behind Dushka Jewellery, does about half of her business at the shows. "My jewellery is available at a few stores, but the selection is limited," she says. "At the show, it's the whole collection."
And designers especially love the craft-show model for interacting with customers and market testing. "It's good to get feedback," says Kate Brooks, who makes funky bags with tie motifs under the Mr. Right Designs label.
But there are still the hard-core craft-show devotees. "I had people who walked by who were bused in from smaller towns who were confused by the whole concept," she laughs.
No worries. There are still plenty of wreaths and birdie sculptures to keep them happy too.
The One of a Kind Show runs March 31 to April 4 in Toronto and July 8 to 18 in Montreal ( http://www.oneofakindshow.com).