Artisans, artists and makers from across Cumbria will be making their way to Lowther Castle this month for the first ‘Etsy Made in Cumbria’ Summer Market and the story of the event starts over the
In 2005, in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, three men sat down one day and invented an online marketplace for makers and artisans. The company Etsy – so-called because in Italian, it means ‘oh yes’ and in French ‘what if?’ – was an overnight success. Today it is a trading outlet to a worldwide community of sellers.
This summer – over the weekend of 15-16 June – Lowther Castle will play host to the first ever ‘Made in Cumbria’ Etsy Market. Coordinated by Kate Antrobus (www.bouslife.co.uk– maker of scented botanical candles), the market will showcase makers, artisans and artists from across the county.
Items on sale will range from Furniture & Lampshades, Hand-woven Items, Fine Art Etchings, to Clay Figures, Nature-based Fabric Items and Handmade Soaps. Other stalls will sell Handmade Wooden Items, Handmade Bears & Cushions, Vintage Hares & Mice, Handmade Mosaics, Prints, Stoneware, Vintage Furniture and Ceramic Homewares. (For the full list of all 21 providers and their goods, please see attached.)
The market will also feature live music and, an important part of the Etsy ethos, ‘Meet-the-Maker’ sessions – where visitors can discover more about what is involved in being involved in crafts.
Asked why she launched the Summer Market, Kate Antrobus said: “I’m a fellow Etsy seller originally from Cumbria. I have been a member of Etsy communities in Durham, Newcastle and Leeds.
“There are so many great artists, makers and artisans in this region but with the pressures of running a business as a one-man band, we often work in solitude from our studios and workshops.
“Having seen how effective Etsy groups can be and how well they can work, I thought it was time to create a community here in Cumbria. It gives us all the opportunity to shout out about how great we are, whilst supporting each other along the way.”
