Local Crafters are Making Unique Sustainable Goods

When I was growing up, I had many older relatives that crocheted and knitted various things from dolls to afghans. I never liked getting gifts from them. I can remember one Christmas eve, getting to open 1 present early, and being so disappointed that it was a gift from my great aunt. Inside was a pair of soft pink cknitted booties. Ugh, that’s no fun…I wanted toys and cool clothes…not a dumb pair of booties! I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning when I would get to open the cool stuff!


Looking back now, it’s hard to believe I ever felt that way because I feel so differently now. I love handmade items that have so much time and care put into making them. We have a couple of local markets that many local crafters and artists gather at to sell their goods. It is one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning; walking around and looking at the many unique items.

I especially like artists that are able to breathe new life into old items. They may take bottle caps and decorate a picture frame, or license plates to make bird houses, I just love seeing the ingenious ideas of people that not only recycle items but they upcycle them. They take it from something old and drab and make it better than it was. They give it style. The biggest issue I have on Saturday mornings at the market is trying to decide which of the fabulous items to get because unfortunately, I don’t have the unlimited funds I would need to buy all the things I like!

 Along with my love of the sheer aesthetics of the craft items, I also like that I can feel good about purchasing from small business. I get so happy seeing the revival of the urban crafter, and local artists. The best part is that we can have local artists making awesome goods of all kind like before the Industrial Revolution, but we still have the technology of the internet to connect with the local artist that may not be local to us.

One company that’s doing some really cool crafting is Rickshaw Bags in San Francisco. According to an article in Inc. Magazine (one of my favorite magazines to find out about up and coming small business,) Rickshaw has found a way to make bags that have sustainability at their core with zero waste. Talk about upcycling; they have created a bag made from fabric that was once water bottles. The CEO of Rickshaw Bagworks, Mark Dwight explains, “we partnered with one of the few remaining upholstery mills in North Carolina to develop a proprietary collection of Rickshaw Performance Tweed: a gorgeous, rugged fabric made from recycled beverage bottles and finished with an eco-friendly, stain-resistant coating. With a little extra effort, we developed a fabric that met our goals for sustainability, style, durability, and affordability.”


 Rickshaw custom makes every bag to order, so you can really get a bag that’s unique to you. You can customize every part of the bag and since they are open to the public, you could even watch the creation of your bag.

I love seeing this type of manufacturing that really honors the timeless tradition of local crafters. It makes me think again about those knitted Christmas booties...I may not have been happy to open them, but I sure wore them a lot, and for a long time, because not only were they uniquely made, but they were also made with handcrafted quality.


The Commuter 2.1 Laptop Briefcase from Rickshaw Bagworks on Vimeo.



disclosure: I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

35 comments:

  1. I love buying products that have been recycled or upcycled into something new. It's a great feeling to buy something that isn't hurting our environment!

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  2. I never liked handmade items either as a kid and have hardly bought any now. Even so, I love crafting myself. Think i'm going ot look into handmade more.

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    1. Ha! and I've only recently started my own crafting! LOL

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  3. I wish I had the talent to create handmade items. Love local artists (because they are truly artists), especially around holiday gift giving time!

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    1. You know you may have more talent than you think, start with a small project, you never know what you might make.

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  4. I agree, purchasing products that repurpose previous items is a great way to be a steward of our blessings. Thank you for sharing about this company.

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    1. I'm happy to be able to share the good that they are doing. Thank you fo rtaking the time to read about them!

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  5. I am the opoposite, I have been knitting and crocheting since I was a young child so I know how precious a hadmade item can be for he cretor and the recipient.

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    1. You are so blessed to have that kind of skill passed down to you, and how lucky the people are that get such gifts from you.

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  6. That is so neat that they are doing this and even better that you are taking the time to support locals to make it come full circle. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Thank you for stopping to read about it. It is really great what they are doing!

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  7. That laptop briefcase is awesome! I love buying locally.

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    1. yes it is! I'm glad you support your local businesses! :)

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  8. I love buying locally, especially from local artisans and crafters. Their items are unique and you know the money goes back into the community, too.

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  9. I absolutely love and appreciate handmade items, and upcycled is even better.

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    1. Me too which is why I'm totally addicted to Pinterest and etsy :)

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  10. Wow those bags are fantastic! And I am so with you about buying from crafters and supporting local business!

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    1. They really are very nice bags. They are both unique and better for the environment.

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  11. It's funny the gifts that we think are dumb when we are younger. In later years you realize the hard work and love that went into those gifts and you don't mind receiving them.

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    1. You are absolutely right. It's a shame we can't realize it in the moment though, so we can enjoy it then.

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  12. I wish I was creative enough to recycle/upcycle materials in my home. I do love shopping through these types of items though!

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    1. Thanks to pinterest I've been able to see just how easy some upcycling can be, but I'm definitely not as creative a s some of the people out there just making amazing things!

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  13. I've seen those bags and thought they were so well thought out and designed.

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  14. I completely agree with you, Liz. You can definitely see the thought that went into their creation.

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  15. These bags are so cool...and I'm definitely doing my part to support small and local businesses this year.

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  16. those bags are great- and i love supporting local crafters!

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  17. I am huge on local foods, but sometimes I don't think about local GOODS! There is an entire store in Marietta that just opened, it offers only local goods and services like those bags!

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  18. I love hand made items. My great gran was a master crocheter. I cherish all the blankets she gave to me over the years. I love going to local craft fairs. So many talented people in GA.

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  19. I was/am 100% the same way. When I got something handmade when I was little instead of the Furby I wanted, I was like what the heck is this junk!!! But now, I LOVE handmade and being able to support handmade! I do also think it's made a difference that handmade stuff has come a long way from crocheted pink booties too. Some women are so passionate about their craft and they have really transformed their talents into something special.

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  20. I LOVE handmade items - I appreciate them even more these days since everything we seem to surround ourselves with comes off an assembly line. You can beat the uniqueness & QUALITY!

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  21. Love handmade & shopping local small business!! I even do that do some beauty products!

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  22. I really love those. I am always looking for great handmade items.

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  23. I love shopping local and supporting local artist and small businesses.

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