I kept a secret for almost two months! A BIG secret!!!
San Antonio Magazine reached out to me the first week of January, with a note about how impressed they were that I found ways to connect with people despite all that 2020 brought, that I pulled together this community of makers, and that we outlasted covid. They wanted to give Handmade on Main an Editor’s Choice award in their Best of the City contest!
I happened to be sitting in front of Doubleside Toffee’s fridge at the time of the e-mail, double-checking her inventory. So it took me a while to stop bawling, and pick myself up off the floor.
Such an honor! A surprise! Recognition for ALL this hard work that I put in!
SO thankful!!!
At the time I’m writing this, most of my makers have no idea that this announcement is coming. But I did tell my OG’s a couple of days ago, and we got together last night for pics.
My “original gangsters” were the ones that moved in with me (From Scratch Farm) in November of 2019. They really took a chance on me and this idea. We’ve worked together for over a year, to make this co-op succeed and grow. They’re: Doubleside Toffee Company, Bear & Roo Candle Company, and Craft Tree by Terry.
We had three move in right at the start of covid. Crazy Plant Lovee, The Artful Olive Company, and ECB Designs.
Next, we had a group move in before the Christmas season. Paisley Charm Creations, Narwhal Sensory Box, Rustic Cache Design Company, and Tipsy Barrel.
And last, we had a group of makers move in at the beginning of this year. Texas Hill Country Hot Sauce Company, Nona the Mom Baker, Sherbert Lane, Ever Clay Shoppe, and Careha & Co.
Whew! That’s 16 local makers, bringing you the best of locally-made goods and gifts!
“Best Maker Co-op
Handmade on Main
Launched just months before the pandemic sent stores into lockdown, the director of this maker co-op, Amy Bierstedt, describes the shop in Boerne as a “labor of love” in what she knows other retailers would agree was the toughest year on record. Born out of a passion for handmade goods, the shop was once home to Bierstedt’s From Scratch Farm, which produces natural bath, body and home products. In its rebirth as Handmade on Main, the space grew to include her products alongside goods from around a dozen other makers, including Bear & Roo Candle Co., Crazy Plant Lovee, Narwhal Sensory Box and more. Follow them on social media for updates as well as in-shop classes where you can learn to create yummy treats or beautiful creations of your own. The shop is proof that sometimes life (and business) is better lived in community.”
