Bruiser Queen puts the Rock into the Rock N Roll Craft Show. Courtesy of RRCS.
Since its inception, the Rock N Roll Craft Show has featured dozens upon dozens of local crafters and DIY artists in its annual Thanksgiving weekend sale. It's also featured bands, DJs and other locally made cultural additives, which are blended into the festive feel of the event. This year, RRCS celebrates a full decade in the game, while moving to a new, weekend-long home in Grand Center.
We contacted one of the founding members of the event, artist and teacher Jessi Cerutti, who answered a variety of questions relating to the event, touching on past, present and future. We neglected to ask about the famed Sock Monkey, who wanders the halls of RRCS, but that’s something/someone best experienced on your own. If interested in making the acquaintance of said monkey, or in buying regionally-made crafts, all the pertinent information about the event is found at the bottom of the this Q&A.
How has the organization changed over the years, in terms of the core "board" membership, or the way in which you've gone about building the event from year to year?
When we started this thing, we were a group of friends having some girl time, playing poker and sharing crafty techniques. Some of us had worked together planning art shows, etc. We had the space and wanted to do something fun. We really had no idea how hungry people were for something like this.
At the beginning, there were four of us doing the organizing, with help from lots of friends. A few of those folks expressed interest in planning, so we brought them in. At a certain point, we realized we wanted to incorporate, so the seven of us formed a board. At this time, we were going through some growing pains and ironing out everyone's roles, which can be tough when you have a tight group of friends with strong personalities. I think we avoided a lot of major drama because everyone was always so passionate about the show and wanted the event to be perfect.
Since then, we have had some folks start families or move out of town, so we are back down to five main ladies that run this thing, along with major help from a couple of our partners. This has made it easier to meet, to agree on things, etc. We communicate really well and keep each other grounded and on-task. The last few years things have really smoothed out a lot, with everyone feeling comfortable and confident in their roles. Everyone has their specialty, whether its logistics or sponsorship or bookkeeping and inventory, but we all do a little of everything, too. When things need to get done, we find a way to do it, whether someone is traveling or working around the clock or whatever. We pick up each other's slack.
You've moved venues, obviously. Tell us a bit about what attracted you to this space. And, to extend that, what did you enjoy about Third Degree, if you don't mind my asking?
We wanted to stay in or near the city, and there were a few areas we were interested in. Grand Center was always one of them, but we have found it difficult to secure a space anywhere that meets our needs and fits our budget. As the show has grown, our needs have grown, and we need a lot of space to do everything we want to do. Try finding 10,000 square feet of usable space that you can occupy for a week; it is a challenge!
The Scottish Rite is an interesting old building, although the ballrooms are somewhat plainer than you would expect from the exterior. The size of the space is what we are most excited about. We will have three times the space that we had at Third Degree, and a separate room for live music. This means we can take as many artists as we want without having to worry about it being too tight. We can do extra things, like the demonstrations and other interactive booths. We can have a place for people to sit and relax with a drink or a bite to eat. It will also be exciting to be in a part of town where there are lots of other things happening, and we are hoping folks will come down for our show but maybe stick around and make a day or evening of it.
Third Degree has an amazing space that they take really good care of. Everyone that came to the show when we were there would be excited about the faucets in the bathroom or the glass demonstrations. They were good to work with and had many things at hand that made the show easy. There are a lot of conveniences we may miss, but we were ready to burst out of there at times, with all of our stuff.
Over time, there have been other craft fairs, sometimes at the same time of year. Is that a challenge? A compliment? A mix of both?
It has never really been a challenge for us, because what we do is so unique. No other show provides the department store experience that is easy for shoppers and vendors alike. In the beginning, there was some silly gossip flying around, but we never engaged with it, and it all went away. We fully support other shows and want to encourage more of them—if it helps keep local crafters in business, then we are all for it! The only worry we would ever have about conflicting shows would be that we would lose applying crafters, but we are fortunate to have developed a good following of shoppers, and have provided a business model that works for vendors so that they can have a profitable experience. And they don't have to work the whole show, which frees up lots of precious time.
Have you seen trends over this decade, in terms of the products offered, or the styles of work that have emerged? Have there been "photography years," or "decoupage years," or other sorts of sub-trends that've been noticed by organizers?
Totally. This year we have seen a lot more plants and terrariums. Not everyone is printing t-shirts anymore, but lots of folks are doing more traditional printmaking. We have also started getting a ton of ceramic work. In the last couple years, there have been lots of t-shirt or other skinny necklace/scarf things. For a while lots of folks were making stuffed animals, but now we only see a few doing that. This year there were also a lot of questions about selling vintage items, which we have never had before (we don't do vintage unless it has been otherwise altered by hand). But really, the quality of the applications we get improves every year, and when we see someone doing something new or unique, we are usually all over it.
What musical acts have stood out to you over time? Who are you personally looking forward to seeing this year?
We have had some great stuff, and a pretty big variety. Some of my favorites are Middle Class Fashion, Bruiser Queen, Devil Baby Freak Show, Sleepy Kitty, Fire Dog, and Dubb Nubb. Some super fun moments I remember were Jesse Irwin and Jessica Butler doing their lounge act, Robb Steele rapping around the t-shirts, and the Tenacious D cover band self-censoring an afternoon set. We have had some great help over the years with booking bands from Mike Tomko and Loyal Family.
This year I'm most excited about our after party at CAM, where we have the Educated Guess and Jungle Fire playing. A big part of that, I admit, is because I don't have to work as hard once we get to CAM!
Based on sales, anecdotal conversations, etc., do you have a feel for how the economy is doing based on the ring each season? If you were guessing, will this year's be a good year, average year...?
A few years ago—after the economy tanked—was the first year we had anything but huge increases in sales. I think part of that had to do with us leveling out a bit—you can't continue to double the sales every year. Since then, we have continued to sell a bit more each year. As far as this year goes, I expect to maintain, hopefully stay on the path we have been on. With the new venue, I have some worries that we will lose a few folks, but we may also gain new ones. We also have more artists, which means more merchandise and more potential sales.
We're exchanging information earlier in the week, with this piece running on Wednesday, just prior to the event. What's your overall anticipation level as we type? What's the best thing about this lead-up week? The most-stressful? And how's it feel to be at number 10?
Wow. Two weeks ago I was dreading all the work ahead, feeling overwhelmed. That started changing last week, and now I feel ready and excited. I was lucky enough to be able to relax a bit today in preparation for my crazy week. Tomorrow is the day when everyone drops off their stuff, which can be long and busy and chaotic, but it is really exciting to see all the items come in—I start shopping then! I have a few concerns about the new venue, simply because it's new and we had a solid routine at Third Degree. But the potential to set up shop in that giant space is exciting. The part I dread the most now (which I always do) is loading out Sunday night and taking all our stuff back to storage. The rest is pretty fun, if exhausting.
My favorite part of the show is when everything is in place, the doors are open, people are shopping, and the first band begins to play (which, this year will be my friend Curtis Brewer!). At that moment it feels like we've really done something amazing, bringing all of these people together. To think about how this is the tenth time we've done this is wild—I can't even count how many people have been involved over the years, all the great people I've met, and all the fun and hilarious moments we have shared making this thing happen. I guess I just feel proud that this simple little thing we started has become such a staple of the scene here in St. Louis. That's what keeps me coming back every year.
The Rock’n’Roll Craft Show will take place at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Grand Center, 3663 Lindell, 63108. Hours are: Friday, November 29 (11 a.m.-6 p.m., $10 admission); Saturday, November 30 (11 a.m.-6 p.m., $3); and Sunday, December 1 (11 a.m.-6 p.m., $3). All info at: rocknrollcraftshow.com.
