The first day of the annual West Coast Craft fair drew thousands to Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion in San Francisco on Saturday. The event concluded Sunday.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
By Shawna Chan mugs are displayed at the West Coast Craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Jessica Gonzalez greets customers at her Happy Organics booth.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Take Tak’s creations are displayed at the craft fair, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Bailey Hikawa shows her toilet seats and phone case sculptures to a customer during the first day of the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Thousands of shoppers attend the first day of the annual West Coast Craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Mal Tran’s ceramics are displayed during the first day of the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Monsters of the Underworld’s booth at the annual West Coast Craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Earrings are displayed at Shy Natives’ booth during the first day of the annual West Coast Craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
A hand-printed upcycled jacket at Monsters of the Underworld’s booth.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
A phone case sculpture by Bailey Hikawa is displayed at the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Shanna Brandt browses hand-knit cardigans at Society Mano’s booth during the first day of the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Mochi pastries are displayed at Happee Belly’s booth.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion draws large a crowd for the first day of the annual West Coast Craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Thousands of people flocked to Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion in San Francisco on Saturday for the 10th annual West Coast Craft winter fair, where craftspeople and designers displayed all kinds of products, from puzzles to vintage clothes to stuffed llamas.
Groups of friends and families huddled at the entrance below a giant rainbow hanging from the ceiling, strategizing how they would fan out to hit the maximum amount of booths in the time they had. The fair featured 300 small craft makers from all over the country, and organizers expected 10,000 to 15,000 guests each day of the two-day craft fair.
“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover!” one woman said to her friend before dashing toward one of the first aisles at the fair, which also runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
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The booths, arranged in several rows inside the pavilion, had as much visual variety as the products did. Some were decorated simply, with just white walls and minimalist signage, while others were explosions of color, with quilts and furs hanging on the booth’s walls and signs made from balloons.
Hundreds of designers displayed their handiwork Saturday during West Coast Craft at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.Michaela Vatcheva Special to the Chronicle
Visitors browsed the various offerings, bustling past each other in the narrow aisles, admiring the products, which sold from a few dollars to hundreds, and excitedly pointing things out to friends.
One seller that caught people’s attention was Hikawa, which had a light blue toilet with a neon yellow and blue seat in front of it. As people stopped to look, they saw two other resin toilet seat creations — one bright green with watches embedded in the resin, another clear with synthetic hair strands inside.
“Isn’t that fun?” Bailey Hikawa, the artist behind the eye-catching creations, said to a visitor checking out the hair-filled toilet seat.
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The California College of the Arts graduate said she wanted to make art that is functional, which is how she ended up creating phone cases and toilet seats — things people use every day.
“I’m really interested in where art and design meet,” Hikawa said. Each toilet seat takes about two weeks to make, she said, and most are made to order.
Bailey Hikawa’s toilet seats are displayed during the first day of the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Hikawa said that while she does much of her business online and doesn’t often go to craft fairs, this is her third time attending West Coast Craft. She said it’s a great way to get her products in front of more people.
“These craft fairs are amazing,” she said.
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Tess Clabby and Dicapria, who said they do not use a last name, were at the craft fair for the first time with their brand, Monsters of the Underworld. Several people stopped by the small but colorful booth, checking out their handmade coats, T-shirts, puppets and prints, each featuring or inspired by bright, whimsical monsters.
The Bay Area couple said they have been performing at festivals and events with the giant puppet creations together for a few years, and started making merchandise together this year.
“It’s kind of like a band,” Dicapria said. “We’re installation puppet artists, and this is our merch.”
Justin Kiene’s ceramic artwork is displayed during the first day of West Coast Craft.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
Another popular booth was Justin Kiene Ceramics, which featured colorful, textured cups, mugs and pots with designs inspired by amoeba. People spent several minutes at the booth, picking up and examining the various designs, looking closely at the details and deciding which they liked best.
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Kiene, who is based in Oakland, said he has dabbled in ceramics his whole life but dived in completely during the pandemic. “It became an obsession,” he said.
Now, he sells his ceramics online through his website and Instagram, but he prefers in-person events such as West Coast Craft, where he can talk with people about his designs.
“This is the event of the year for me,” he said, adding that it’s his favorite market.
Shoppers loved the market as well. Many were impressed with and thrilled by the number of vendors and the variety they brought.
Cosmic Peace Studio displays its wares during the first day of the craft fair.
Michaela Vatcheva/Special to the Chronicle
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Rachel Garcia, who brought her mom, husband and best friend to the craft fair, said she saw an advertisement for the event on Instagram in the summer and immediately put it in her calendar, excited by the assortment of artists the event promised.
“As the event was getting closer and they kept posting more and more, I was like, ‘This is amazing,’ ” she said. By noon, her arms were full of bags, which she was putting in the car before coming back into the building.
Elle Pan, Garcia’s best friend, was visiting from Portland, Ore., and was excited that the fair was on their itinerary for the weekend.
“It’s really cool to see each artist’s unique style and stuff,” she said. “And it’s always great to support independent artists.”
