What is the Chicago Craft Mafia?
The Chicago Craft Mafia is a collaborative and non-competitive organization of independent crafting business owners. Blue Buddha Boutique founder Rebeca Mojica has been a member of the Chicago Craft Mafia since 2006. The mafia has been on hiatus since January 1 2015.
The Mafia works together to foster their own individual entrepreneurship and to support the greater crafting community. Members of the familia pride ourselves on the design, integrity and workmanship of their products and the ethics of their business practices.
Their collective knowledge covers wholesaling, retailing, publishing digital and traditional media, licensing, teaching, graphic design, marketing, product photography, and website development. They organize quarterly Craft Rackets: free business-oriented workshops open to the public on a variety of subjects such as Pricing Your Crafts and How to Apply for an Arts Fair.
Each holiday season, the Chicago Craft Mafia presents the DIY Trunk Show, which brings together 100+ local and regional crafters. In order to showcase talented emerging artisans, the show focuses on ensuring that 20%-30% of the spaces available go to first-time sellers each year. Additionally, the show promotes several nonprofits by offering free table space for them to interact with show attendees.