Meet Mariam of Bahari Deco Crafts. Mariam has been vending with us for a while now and we are a big fan of her work. She applies her textiles in many forms. This Saturday [June 15], she will have cup sleeves, device cases, bags, summer clothing for children and adults, colorful animals and hand painted handmade paper and cards.

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

I am a seamstress. I come from East Cost Tanzania. Normally I should just say I am from Tanzania, but put that way, in relation to my business. What I sell is fashion accessories made from traditional African made fabrics – Kanga cloth is my specialty, followed by Kitenge and Kikoi ( as we call hand woven cloth).

Also, I share stories and create awareness of the Swahili culture. I think people need information from the native as opposed to information wrote by visitors on  what they captured during their few days visits in the Swahili coast. I appreciate their effort, and wish to compliments and correct when possible.

At some markets I am known as the Kanga Lady and some just the Swahili Seamstress.

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision?

Fenton Street was my first market to vend. Prior to that, I used to sell on consignment to a vendor who used to vend at D.C. Eastern Market. She moved away to the other state. My first products in Fenton Market were Kanga cloth, Kanga bags and some mixed handicrafts from Tanzania. Megan was among my first buyers (Kanga bag) and Laura Costas ( Kanga clothes). She is regular FSM visitor) and my regular customer and devoted motivator. That is worth mentioning for FSM Customers – most of them become vendors’ friends.

On my early days on FSM, I met Emily Morris, who worked lived and work in Tanzania for 7 years representing a non-profit organization based in WA DC, -EDC. She was very excited to see Kanga again. We ended up talking for a while, and she introduced me to Empowered Women International, then the journey with EWI begun in Spring 2012, onwards.

3. Why do you do what you do? What is so special about your business?

I chose to do this because I love art and I love Swahili culture and all that it offers. I am missing a lot of what is available there in this part of the world. Even at the Smithsonian Museum, the Swahili Coast is only place in Africa which, is  either not represented or with very little representation to notice. Unfortunately, I don’t see representation in other African art, crafts and culture.

As a Swahili native, and skilled artisan I decided to do this to make a contribution, in my own small way. I have been my mother’s helper, and as an adult, I opted to resign from a white color job to work in the handicrafts field. My presence in America is an opportunity and a platform for my advancement and inclusion of the Swahili coast’s skills in the wider market.

4. What do you love most about Fenton Street Market?

What I like about Fenton Street Market its POSITION, Diversity and A Very Nice community of vendors and visitors. Last but not least, I with I could composed a song about FSM.

ALL THE BEST.

Hi! I’m Soyini George from Yinibini Baby, and I sell the cutest handmade clothing and accessories for little ones! I use cotton and organic cotton fabrics. I enjoy making baby clothing and I like using fabrics that are stylish and unique.

I actually started my business on my kitchen table in 2010, and slowly graduated to a full-fledged studio, which is currently located in Brookland. It’s my dream to eventually have a studio/boutique. For now, you can find me at crafts shows around the city. You can also find my work at Whole Foods and www.yinibinibaby.com.

I enjoy making pieces that people can use and wear and possibly hand down to the next new born. It’s a big tradition in my family to pass around a handmade baby gown that is probably 25 years old now! What you will get from Yinibini Baby is a handmade with love, made in the USA item that can be treasured.

I love FSM for the variety of vendors that are there at market day! It’s always a vibrant, colorful atmosphere and the crafts that the vendors make are very unique and lovely.

Check out Yinibini Baby on Facebook and look out for Soyini’s little blue tent on Saturday!

Say hello to the Eicher brothers of Homegrown Glas Art. You should definitely recognize them by now. They’ve been bringing their handblown glass necklaces, bottle stoppers and more to the market since 2010. Well known for their glassblowing demos, you can actually watch them make new pieces on the spot! Read more about their love for this art and FSM in this week’s vendor profile.

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

We’re Ryan and Daniel Eicher, from Silver Spring, MD, with special assistance from Helen Ploussiou, also of Silver Spring. We sell handblown glass- we’re known for our delightful glassblowing demonstrations,  wild ukulele improvisations, and altogether semi-charming demeanor.

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision?

We got started when Ryan taught himself glassblowing in college, then taught Daniel. We found the Fenton Street Market pretty early on, when it was still on the old lot, and it was the first reliable outlet for us to sell glass. It was a nice kind of “training ground”- perfect for learning how to sell our work without having to make huge investments or risks. We’ve learned a lot at the market over the past couple years. In the future, we’d like to take advantage of being in DC to get some work into some of the museums- we’ve sold work through the shop at the Phillips Collection and the Smithsonian’s Folklife festival, but we’ve got our eye on getting into the Smithsonian’s shops.

3. Tell us why you do what you do. What is so special about your business?

We’ve got a lot of reasons for doing what we do- being self employed means we make our own hours, so we have time to travel when we want. Also, the nature of the work is really gratifying. Working with our hands satisfies the soul- it’s nice to have something tangible you’ve produced at the end of each day. Then the market makes it that much more fulfilling, because after we spend all week making glass, we get to go out and connect with people who fall in love with it. There’s nothing better than when someone buys something new, made just the day before, and you both share the same enthusiasm for it.

4. What is your favorite thing about FSM?

Aside from getting to connect with our customers, getting to know the community at large has to be one of the more interesting facets of the Market. Especially the crazy people, who seem to be drawn to the flame. Gotta love those crazy people.

Stop by Ryan and Daniel’s booth on Saturday for some unique handblown glass pieces. But until then, like them on Facebook and check out their Etsy shop!

Meet Nicole of TyniseNicole jewelry & things. This self-taught jewelry designer (and maker!) loves to fuse vintage pieces and cultural inspiration with her own little twist. Read about her work and inspiration and be sure to check her out at the market on Saturday!

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

Hi! My name is Nicole and I’m the designer behind TyniseNicole jewelry & things. I’m originally from New Haven, CT, but have been living in the DC area for about 8 years now…I guess I’m here to stay at this point. I sell handcrafted one-of-a-kind and very limited edition jewelry and accessories.

I spend a lot of my time in thrift stores and like to repurpose old jewelry that I find into brand spanking new pieces. I’m pretty well known at the market for having bright, colorful and different pieces.

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision? 

I have always been a crafty person and really enjoy making things with my hands. I also love to accessorize, but I like to wear things that no one else has. So one day I watched a few youtube videos, did a few google searches and learned how to bead and create really simple wire earrings. I started wearing my jewelry out in public and began to get a lot of compliments on them. Then I started to think, “hey, if people like what I’m making, why not start making some off of it?!” So, I began selling my pieces in early 2010. It’s kind of funny because when I look back on a lot of things I made back then I can really see how much my style and techniques have evolved and often wonder what it was that people liked about that stuff?!?! Lol

I believe jewelry making is the perfect fit for me, because I’m all about self love and appreciating your beauty, and wearing some really cool and fun jewelry is a great way to enhance the beauty you’ve already got going on!

I would really love to open my own shop someday that carries my pieces and other local crafters/artists work. I also envision it being a space open to the handmade community and hold different workshops and artist talks for creatives.

3. Tell us why you do what you do. What is so special about your business?

I create because its so much a part of me. I feel like I’m neglecting a part of who I am if I’m not creating something. My business is special because I really like to infuse my love an appreciation for other world cultures into my work, while at the same time being able to put my own spin on the traditional.

4. What is your favorite thing about FSM?

I really love FSM because it’s not a place where crafters and artists just sell their work and go back home, but it’s a community of artists that can engage with each other and their customers on a much more personal level. We also have some pretty loyal customers—seeing familiar faces at the market really makes me smile

Be sure to stop by Nicole’s always vintage-inspired and colorful booth at the market this weekend! But until then, you can check out her website, follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook to stay in touch!

Meet Mariam and Mwana, the mother daughter design team of Bosa Modest Wear. Their brightly colored modest designs flutter beautifully in the wind at Fenton Street Market as one of this year’s newest vendors. Read about how they got their start and what makes their dresses so special and don’t forget to stop by and say hello on Saturday!

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

We are Mariam and Mwana, a mother-daughter fashion design team. We mainly design and make women’s clothes from scratch and we also dabble in making jewelry to accessorize them. We are originally from East Africa and currently live in Maryland; so our fashions are locally made with a global feel. We are known at the market as Bosa Modest Wear and a large banner inside our tent will make us hard to miss.

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision?

Mom has been an avid sewer for as long as I can remember and my childhood is filled with memories of all the outfits that she made for me and for herself. It took quite a bit of prodding (several years worth!) for her to get me interested in designing and sewing but once I got started, I finally understood her fascination with it. Together we came up with beautiful, unique designs that we would wear on special occasions, or to the office, or for casual wear in the house. At times I’d be inspired to surprise her with a design that I made especially for her. And at other times she would be inspired to do the same for me. Through it all, our family constantly commented how nice the things we made were. Friends and coworkers also admired what we made and would often ask where we bought them. They would encourage us to try selling what we made but we were content with designing just for ourselves.

Eventually though, as we found ourselves with plenty of free time on the weekends, we wondered if we should give it a try. Luckily for us, our local religious center was having an international bazaar and was looking for vendors. So off to the fabric store we went, looking for a bargain on cheap fabric to get us started. We came home with an assortment of fabrics that had our imaginations running wild. We made new designs as well as variations on things that we had made for ourselves in the past. We worked tirelessly through the week and on the bazaar day, we proudly arranged our wares on the table, eager to make our first sale. We sold three dresses and felt such a huge sense of accomplishment and from that moment, we were hooked. We took part in a fashion show and a few other bazaars before finding out about the Fenton Street Market.

We view our sewing as a hobby and are enjoying the weekend vending scene. We also put up our items on a website but our main source of sales has been vending. Therefore, for the immediate future, we’d like to see how we can grow our online presence so that we can generate more sales.

3. Tell us why you do what you do. What is so special about your business?

Mom and I design and sew because we like the challenge. We actually hand draw our own patterns. So to be able to have an idea, and then translate that idea onto paper and then into something tangible is very rewarding to us. And to be able to see other people appreciate what we have made is an added bonus. Because we do not use commercial patterns, we are able to let our imaginations run wild. This allows us to come up with unique designs that have been an instant draw when customers see our items. Our ability to draw our own patterns also means that it is easy for us to take on custom orders. We have made custom clothes for several customers and always have a measuring tape handy at the market. Prices for custom orders are only slightly higher than the prices for our ready-made items. And we are able to have custom orders ready in a reasonable amount of time. This is what makes us special. It is not very often that you see a dress that you like and then have it customized to fit you!

4. What is your favorite thing about FSM?

One of the things that we love about FSM is the interaction with customers and passers-by. We have met many wonderful people at the market and our summer has definitely been enriched by the experiences we have had. We have gotten very useful feedback that we have incorporated into the items we have made throughout the summer. We have definitely become huge fans of FSM and are glad to be part of the FSM family. We plan on signing up for even more dates next season!

Shop Bosa Modest Wear on Etsy, follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook before seeing them at the market this Saturday!

Meet Katrina, aka Carol’s Niece. Taught to crochet by her Great Aunt Carol, Katrina brings her hand-crocheted accessories and scarves to the market in bright, fun colors! Although she never saw herself as an entrepreneur, read about how she made the big change in her life, diving head-first into this crafty biz world!

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

Greetings! My name is Katrina and I am originally from New York but attended Morgan State University over ten years ago and never left.  I am known at the market for my bright colors!

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision?

My Great Aunt Carol taught me to crochet when I was really stressed out in graduate school. Five years later I found myself overwhelmed and pretty disappointed in my career, so I picked up my hook again. Only this time I wanted to expand beyond afghans. I decided on a line of accessories because the right piece can totally transform any outfit. Not to mention the fact that they really are the only thing I possess that always fits! So, I started working with different types of yarns and thinking about the styles I’d like to see more of. I love the really feminine look of ruffles and high collars. Similarly, I am equally drawn to bright colors and chunky pieces. So, I decided to do a bit of both.  My greeting card line was a bit of a surprise to me. I learned this art out of necessity. As my husband and I planned our wedding I decided to make the invitations. Many errors later I hand stamped and embossed over 100 wedding invitations and envelopes which inspired my passion for card making.

My future vision is to have my work for sale in local boutiques. I also aspire to strengthen my online presence and continue to grow the CarolsNiece brand, so that my work will be sold across the US and abroad.

3. Tell us why you do what you do. What is so special about your business?

I had committed myself to the field of urban education for ten years and honestly entrepreneurship was not something I had ever considered. However, being a part of my husband’s personal training business created a paradigm shift within me. I desperately wanted a less stressful working environment and more time for my family, but…I was terrified! Finally, I opened my Etsy shop and was pleasantly surprised to discover that people liked my work. Then I came out to Fenton Street and my first Saturday out confirmed that tiny voice within that said, “You can do this,” so I did, and I have not looked back.

What makes CarolsNiece special is that I offer an affordable way for women to add something special to what they already possess. A flower pin on the same black dress transforms it, a ruffled scarf added to a blazer gives it a bit of glamor or a crocheted scarf necklace added to last year’s winter coat gives it an entirely new look.

4. What is your favorite thing about FSM?

My favorite thing about Fenton Street Market is the people! The vendors, customers, and staff make Fenton Street a one of a kind market.  I have always valued and appreciated the way the Fenton Street Market team makes everyone feel special and like we are all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Our customers are engaging and loyal to the market, vendors support and encourage each other and the Fenton Street Market staff makes it all possible. Without a doubt…the people!

Like Carol’s Niece on Facebook and visit her Etsy shop to pick out your favorites before the market on Saturday!

Craftgasm brings some of our favorite quirky, fun and eco-friendly paper goods to the market that inspire us to return to that time before emails and text messages and find excuses to send our loved ones good old fashioned letters in the mail. Some people rescue animals, Melissa rescues paper… almost too much, which is why she shares her vintage paper obsession with the world. Find out more about her in this week’s vendor profile!

1. Who are you, where are you from and what do you sell? How are you known at the market?

My name is Melissa, and my shop is Craftgasm. I’m based out of a formerly tidy dining room in Dupont Circle in DC.  I design and make Gocco screenprints, nerd-approved stationery and cards, and other fun bits, like pins, useable vintage postage, and little journals.  All of my products are made from reclaimed and recycled materials.  I also sell a sweet collection of vintage rolled National Geographic maps in amazing condition.

However, I’m usually recognized at the market as the girl who makes the “Bitch Set Me Up” prints by people who either love them or are really offended by them. Watching a man try to explain to his 8-year-old son why he was laughing at the print was the highlight of my market day once.

2. How did you get started in your business and what is your future vision?

I started making stationery for myself to write to my many (many, many) pen pals, and it got to the point where I couldn’t use it up as fast as I could make it. I gave it away as gifts to friends, and would be asked, “where did you get this?” all the time.  I figured if they liked it that much, other people would too, so I started selling on Etsy in 2007.

Currently I’m designing a series of notecards based on vintage ephemera that I hope to have for sale soon.  I’m starting to realize that I can’t personally save all the old pretty papers in the world (especially since my apartment’s limited capacity won’t allow it), and that I might need to rely more on modern reproduction methods (printed on recycled paper, of course) in the future.  But!  It will allow me to do things more on the designing end of the spectrum, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that adventure goes.

3. Tell us why you do what you do. What is so special about your business?

I love giving old, beautiful things a new life.  I grew up as an only child of a DIY single mom near the hippie enclave of Woodstock, so all of those influences have made me someone who hates to just toss something into a landfill when I know it can be remade and appreciated.  There are boxes and boxes of rescued old maps in our foyer, just waiting for me to make envelopes and other useable things from them.  (Luckily, my husband is both a map-lover and a very patient man.)

I also strongly believe in writing letters (or quick notes or postcards) and connecting through the post.  A handwritten missive is one of the least expensive presents you can give, takes so little effort, and yet brightens its recipient’s entire day.  We don’t store a text message forever, but there’s a good chance that letters we receive from loved ones will be kept and treasured for a long time.  I think encouraging those real-life, written-by-hand connections is so important, and I want to make it easy for my customers to do it in their own lives.

4. What is your favorite thing about FSM?

Fenton Street Market is such a fantastic community resource.  It brings so much life and vibrancy into the neighborhood, and it’s fun to watch neighbors bump into each other, or have old friends and customers come by to visit. Plus getting to browse other vendors is a highlight for me, and makes my gift-giving so much easier.

See Melissa at FSM this Saturday! Check out more of her work on her website and Etsy shop. You can also follow her on Twitter @craftgasm