Aug 23, 2011

Md. Shop Features Locally Created Arts, CraftsBy Deborah GatesChron.com

Salisbury, MD – Kathy Stempel knows artisans who scramble for a short-lived space at area festivals or fairs. They show their wares for a few hours, often paying for a vending booth well over the amount they realized in profit. For at least 18 of them, those days have passed.

“Most vendors found it to be expensive to set up for a weekend or a day,” Stempel said. “Now, I have a building with five rooms and a workshop, and vendors are happy to have their stuff here where people can see it any time, all day. I’ve had absolutely no problem getting people to come on board.”

Stempel and her daughter, Karen Lowden, rolled their gift for gab and artistry into Handmade Galleria… Shop & Share, a retail center that invites artisans to place their creations on consignment for a meager rental fee. The shop, at 1203 Mount Hermon Road on Salisbury’s east side, sells handcrafted works and exposes local artisans including Stempel and Lowden who, until now, traveled from venue to venue for a single day or weekend show. It is the only known retail shop in the Salisbury area devoted to new and locally created arts and crafts. The shop opened in July, and already has attracted 18 vendors who pay $30 a month to display 30 items — a sign that Handmade Galleria filled a void on the local landscape, Stempel said.

Read complete article »