Handmade Philly and VolkLibre! Swap Meet

Fashion > Forward

by Julia West

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Published: Jul 20, 2010

Go shopping this weekend without spending a single bone. Well, not so much shopping, but swapping — an equally exciting prospect for those who love a good hunt.

Local craft collective Handmade Philly teams up with VolkLibre! — Handmade's online equivalent — to host a swap meet that's open to us all. Like any good potluck, the success of the event rests on its participants, meaning the bigger and more diverse the crowd, the richer the amalgamation of treasures will be. You can expect to find clothes and accessories, books and plenty of DIY-friendly goods — whether it's already-made crafts, or the supplies needed to silkscreen, knit, weld, weave or sculpt your own creative endeavors. (Don't forget to bring some snacks for you and your new swapping buddies!)

Standing in as community coordinator at both Handmade Philly and VolkLibre!, Ruth Schanbacher explains the benefits of swapping over shopping. "In addition to keeping these items from the landfill, we are reducing the need to buy more new items," she says. "Almost anything can be reused. If it's not for its original purpose, then as an art supply."

Implementing a barter system into a community challenges people to truly consider what their belongings are worth, and also creates a sense of unity. An item made by one person may consist of four or five people's unwanted materials, which makes it the Frankenstein of crafts. Rather than toss half-used spools of thread and dusty sewing machines, trading with someone who will celebrate these things makes your junk suddenly glamorous and desirable. To swap is to take recycling to a whole new level and prolong the circle of life for your stuff. Sun., July 25, 3-6 p.m., $3, Moonstone Arts Center, 110A S. 13th St., 215-735-9600, handmadephilly.wordpress.com.

(julia.west@citypaper.net)

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