Folk Fest Artisan Market celebrates the handmade, from jewellery and soaps to fine prints and wizard hats, July 18 to 20
Over two dozen vendors are selling handmade wares at Jericho Beach Park during this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Silver Orca Pod Bracelet, hand-carved by Mathew Baker and sold at Cheryl’s Trading Post.
Valerie Lamirande, founder of RavenSong Soap and Candle.
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival’s Artisan Market and Community Village is at Jericho Beach Park from July 18 to 20
YEAR AFTER YEAR, a highlight of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival experience is browsing the Artisan Market. More than 30 vendors will be on hand at Jericho Beach Park for the event’s 48th annual edition, taking place from July 18 to 20.
Among them is Cheryl’s Trading Post, an Indigenous family-owned business selling everything from engraved silver cuff bracelets to moose-hide moccasins, all handmade and primarily rooted in Northwest Coast tradition. Then there’s the Huichol jewellery company Blue Deer, which specializes in Indigenous Mexican designs; keep an eye out for beautifully patterned bracelets made from tiny chaquira beads.
RavenSong Soap and Candle—an Indigenous wellness brand founded by Valerie Lamirande, who was born and raised in Haida Gwaii—will be selling cold-processed soaps in scents like Fireside Harvest, Sacred Tobacco, and Soapberry Ice Cream, along with luxury candles and herbal sea bath salts.
Katiba Shweshwe is offering unique bucket hats handmade in South Africa from a traditional textile called shweshwe; the cotton-based fabric was introduced to Lesotho from France in the 1800s as a gift for King Moshoeshoe I. It has come to represent the country’s vibrant culture, with its bright colours and intricate designs.
Lawrence Lowe carving a relief printmaking block.
Red Wizard / Witch Hat by Wyld Sage Wares.
Elsewhere, local artist Lawrence Lowe will be selling his relief-printmaking and ink-drawing works, all done on various surfaces—from wood and stone to elk antlers and deer-hide drums. Wyld Sage Wares, meanwhile, specializes in magically inspired items such as high-quality wool wizard hats and handcrafted wands made of cherry, oak, or maple wood.
You can also get henna done by Iti Kalsi, an artist with more than 30 years of experience, at Mehndi by Iti. And over in the Community Village, expect stands from the Rogue Folk Club, Recycle BC, Vancouver Cooperative Radio, and CJSF 90.1 FM.
To get a taste of some of the tunes in store at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival, check out Stir’s interview with Fiona Black, in which the artistic director shares five under-the-radar artists on the lineup. And learn more about Bab L’Bluz, the electrifying band headlining the mainstage on July 19, in our article here. 
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