I've been really excited to check out Hump Day Art Festival. This brand new art fair is held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 6-10pm at SE 9th and Morrison. 9th street is closed for about 4 blocks, but there is lots of potential for this event to grow in the inner SE Warehouse district.
We arrived about 6:30pm and it was starting to get dark. There was still plenty of time to see everything. About half of the booths had lights; the other half started packing up early.
There was a beer garden with music and a few food options.
I recognized a few booths, but mostly artists were new to me. There was a lot of great stuff.
There were a few acts and music in the intersections. There was even 1 guy on stilts. As I said, it is small and not crowded. It was easy to see all of the booths and everyone was very friendly. Hump Day is an off shoot of the very crowded Last Thursday. The focus of this event is the artists and their work. Last Thursday began that way, but now it seems to be more of a carnival feel than a craft fair.
Last Thursday is great fun and creates an unique experience that is so great for Portland, but I'm so glad that the Hump Day started in my hood. I look forward to see how this craft fair grows. I encourage you to come out and support this event. Also, with the holiday season approaching, I found several gift ideas that I hadn't seen before. It's definitely a wonderful untapped market.
Of course, I couldn't leave without a treasure for myself. I bought this Oregon necklace from Mitch Designs. Ashley told me that this was the very first Oregon necklace she had made. It's so beautiful and the workmanship is stunning. I hope she makes many more.
