Etsy Made Local is on at Nottingham Trent Student Union today, with 45 independent sellers from the Nottingham area selling hand-crafted items.
Amy, one of the Etsy Leaders, told us: “This fair has a lovely mixture of handcrafted items, and with Etsy you always buying directly from the business owner and it is going straight into their pockets.
“We are going to be doing a larger-scale fair next year, so sneaky peek, this might be our last small-scale.
“We have been using Nottingham Trent’s Student Union for three years, and it is a really good location in terms of connections from the city, space, and they’re really good to be in partnership with as they’re an education provider.”
A variety of sellers filled The Level, with creations including cards, mugs, sweets, perfumes jams, and everything else under the sun.
Katie Abey, a 2014 BA Graphic Design graduate from Nottingham Trent University who now runs her own business Katie Abey Designs said: “I’m selling my illustrative, colourful, wonderful gifts and I have been doing so for the past two years.
“My most popular product is my Mug Of Motivation!”
Suzie Garton, owner of Marshmallow Kitchen from Arnold said: “This is my first time doing an event of this sort.
“I love the buzz and making products that people like and appreciate.”
The event is free to attend and on until 5pm, so get yourselves down there and find some Christmas shopping inspiration.
There is also an Art and Design Christmas Fair at the Bonnington Building today until 4pm, and Etsy are helping promote that to coincide with the connection with the university.
Top Christmas present buying tips:
- Amy, Etsy Leader: “Always go small and special, and try not to get swept away by the mass-produced, media-driven purchasing environment. I think it is important to think about how your buying affects the environment and to buy things for people that they will either use or treasure!”
- Katie Abey: “Try and shop with small businesses, as it will mean that you are impacting your local area and rewarding somebody that is working hard.”
- Suzie Garton: “Get them early! Be organised, and if you buy from us we can distribute a week before Christmas, so you can get them nice and fresh!”
By Eve Smallman