Emerging Craft Market FAQs

The Emerging Craft Market is Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 9 AM - 6 PM at Energy Innovation Center (1435 Bedford Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219). Makers will be required to load-in and set up their booths on Friday, August 28 between 4-7 PM (load-in time subject to change due to venue needs).

• Maker does not have a brick-and-mortar store

• Makers products are not yet available at brick-and-mortar retail locations

• Jurors will prioritize makers under 5 years old. If your business is over five years old but you believe you still meet the criteria of a new or emerging maker, please share additional details in your application.

The ideal maker for this market is someone who has not previously sold at markets that feature 50+ vendors, including but not limited to:

• I Made It! Market events

• Neighborhood Flea 

• Squirrel Hill Night Market

• Three Rivers Arts Festival 

• Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media events 

If you have sold at these markets before, you are welcome to apply for the emerging Craft Market, but our jurors will prioritize makers who don’t have experience selling at larger markets. If you have applied and have been accepted into any of the markets listed above for 2026, we would still consider you an "emerging" maker.

We define a “handmade business” as follows:

• You, the artist(s), created the original products.

• You did not use mass-produced, trademarked, or licensed items in your work.

• You did not use copyrighted designs that you don’t own in your work.

• Your products are at least 80% of your original creation.

• Your products are not made with purchased, downloaded, or copied images or designs.

The application fee for the 2026 Emerging Craft is $20. This fee is nonrefundable.

The application fee covers the administrative and associated costs it takes to pay jurors to evaluate applications.

Applications will be open until Thursday, April 9 at 11:59 PM (EST). Late applications will be not be accepted. No exceptions.

We receive many more applications than we can accept for every market. To keep the products sold at Handmade Arcade within the quality standards our shoppers expect, all of our markets are juried. The jury carefully evaluates each application against a rubric created for each market. They also evaluate whether or not the applicant fits our definition of a handmade business and if they sell products at a variety of price points, as our shoppers expect. We recommend reviewing the full application and reading through the rubric very carefully before you apply so you know exactly how our jurors are evaluating you.

While it’s not required for makers to have an online presence to participate in our markets, it’s helpful for shoppers to view e-commerce or social media accounts for more images and information. If you provide links to your website and/or social media accounts, they should be active and show a representative selection of your merchandise.

Accepted categories differ across Handmade Arcade markets. The Emerging Craft Market accepts the following categories:

• Accessories

• Adult Clothing

• Artwork*

• Bath & Body

• Ceramics

• Children’s Products

• Glass

• Housewares

• Jewelry

• Paper Goods

• Toys

• Wood

• Other (surprise us!)

*Handmade Arcade was founded as an alternative to visual arts markets where makers creating handcrafted materials with materials like clay, wood, metal, fiber arts, ceramics, and paper could sell their work. Handmade Arcade does accept visual artists for some of our markets, but artists must be able to demonstrate in their applications how their work is reproduced onto prints, fabric, clothing, stickers, etc. and sell those items at our markets rather than just originals.

Shared tables are not allowed at the Emerging Craft Market.

No. At this time, we do not accept food vendors, including chocolates, honey, and candy. If you have specific questions regarding your products, please ask before you apply by emailing makers@handmadearcade.org.

Yes. We want to see how your applications change and how your techniques have grown! We encourage makers to reapply.

Yes. Please complete our application fee waiver form to get a fee waiver code. We don’t want our application fee to be a barrier for makers to be considered by our jury!

Yes. Some applicants will be put on a waitlist. Waitlisted applicants will be notified if a maker space becomes available in the category in which they applied.

Yes. You will be able to see your scores from the jury and any specific feedback the jurors shared on your Eventeny application page after application decisions have been made. 

Handmade Arcade has a jury who reviews all applications. Jurors can be market curators, artists from the community, etc. Handmade Arcade staff members and board members are NOT members of the jury.