Release Date: November 2,2022
Street Craftery: A Creative Space for Art, Crafting and Therapy for All Ages
November 2, 2022, Akron, Ohio — Opened in July 2022, Street Craftery is a DIY studio and gathering point in downtown Akron for crafting enthusiasts of all ages to try projects such as candle making, wood working, cement artistry, splatter painting and more. Customers are guided step by step as they learn new skills and make handcrafted pieces to take home.
Owner Da’Shika Street, who has been an artist and designer for decades, prides herself on her work toward community advancement through entrepreneurship. She discovered a passion for teaching arts-based skill-building during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time she started Project Sew United to sew CDC-approved cloth face masks. This project became the catalyst to her namesake home décor brand and studio.
Now, in 2022, she continues to share her knowledge and experiences to help other people materialize their entrepreneurial dreams by teaching monetizable crafting and sewing skills, in addition to providing a inspiration-provoking environment where people of all ages can explore their creativity.
Street says, “We’ve hosted date nights, bridal parties, self-care groups and more. We hope that Street Craftery continues to serve as a go-to resource for creativity and bonding. We stay in tune with spaces like YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, etc. to make sure we’re staying on top of design trends and coming up with innovative new projects for our guests to enjoy.”
Bright Colors, Splatter Alley and More
At Street Craftery, guests are surrounded by bright colors and sample projects which offer inspiration and spark creativity. No two projects are the same, as each customer puts their own spin on everything they create. “We love it when customers create a candle, and we are introduced to new fragrance combinations, or when they go into Splatter Alley and dance and sing during their painting session,” says Street.
In addition to normal walk-in hours, Street Craftery offers several specialty workshops. On Tuesday mornings from 11 a.m. to noon, for example, toddlers and their grown-ups enjoy story time and work together to make fun crafts. Fridays and Saturdays feature seasonal and trending crafting workshops such as Coffee + Crafts, Pumpkin Spiced Latte Candle Making, Knit Throw Blankets and more.
Street Craftery is open Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Other days and times are reserved for private bookings.
For more information on Street Craftery, drop-in DIYs, or scheduled workshops, visit www.streetcraftery.com and follow @streetcraftery on social media.
Start Downtown
Street Craftery opened in July after being selected as one of six businesses to receive support through the sixth round of Downtown Akron Partnership’s Start Downtown program, which is funded through a grant from Burton D. Morgan Foundation. Start Downtown brings new businesses to downtown Akron by matching business owners and entrepreneurs with downtown property owners and providing rent assistance for a period of six months. In alignment with Opportunity Akron and the Elevate Greater Akron Strategy, the program encourages new business growth with an emphasis on businesses owned by women and people of color. The program, which began in 2015 as the Pop-Up Retail Program, has catalyzed 13 businesses that are operating downtown.