Apr 17, 2012

Madison’s Becoming a ‘Handmade’ DestinationBy Stephanie KuehnertForestParkReview.com

Madison, IL – I’m writing this from Seattle, Wash., one of my favorite cities to visit. One of the things I love most about Seattle is the vast number of local artists and local shops. I’ve never been very interested in having the same shirt from The Gap or some other chain store that everyone else has, so I love finding handmade clothing and accessories because that often means one-of-a-kind or extremely limited editions.

When I travel, rather than hitting up the souvenir stands for gifts for my friends and family or keepsakes for myself, I try to hit local craft fares or small shops that carry work made by local artists (although I admit I have a lot of Seattle magnets, shirts and snowglobes because I’m just that obsessed).

Recently, I realized I should be shopping at home this way, too. I’m great with putting together travel plans and lists of places to explore when I visit other towns, but sometimes I wander obliviously through Forest Park without stopping to visit the stores I would spend hours in if I were on vacation.

Read complete article »