Empowering Artistry: Celebrating International Women's Day with a Showcase of our Amazing Female Artisans and Makers
Here at Makers, we feel fortunate to be surrounded by so many amazing, talented and hardworking female entrepreneurs and artisans. Today marks this year’s International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate all of our wonderful female makers than to share their businesses' histories, achievements and progress with you; our audience. So without further ado, please check out some of the amazing female-run businesses that are the foundation of our vendor community here at Makers!
Villager Puzzles
It takes a village to raise a kid, as they say, so why not a village to launch a company? As a working mom of 3, Villager Puzzles founder Kelly Streimer needed something quiet to do after her children went to bed; when Puzzling became Kelly’s meditative downtime activity, she also noticed a lot of puzzles didn’t have the best assembly quality and the designs didn’t suit her aesthetic. Having experienced that “it takes a village” from a parenting perspective, Kelly set out to establish Villager Puzzles as a company that IS the village, supporting women making a living doing what they love. All the puzzles depict illustrations made by a number of up-and-coming female artists from around Canada, and are printed on high quality materials with a matte finish to reduce glare. Find Villager Puzzles in our Kitsilano and Gastown locations!
Emma Hands
If you want to support a company that creates empowering, humourful feminist designs by an artist that is the definition of a strong, powerful, badass woman, then Emma Hands is your lady! Emma is the brains behind Tough Titties, a brand that sets out to connect with people on a vulnerable level that transcends gender, race, and beliefs. She set out to create designs that make people feel seen, and normalizes all the beautiful sizes, scars, and mismatched shapes that boobs can take - and she delivers! Emma Hands and Tough Titties Designs are available in our Gastown, North Vancouver, Metrotown and Park Royal locations!
Lauradidthem
High Quality, on the go! Laura became a Certified Nail Technician out of a desire to combine her two passions: Doing nails, and creating art! Time is money, however; with the fast-paced lifestyle so many of us live nowadays, the ability to accommodate the high sticker price and the 4+hours of sitting time it usually takes for Instagram-worthy nail care isn’t so feasible for everyone. Enter: Lauradidthem! Using only top-of-the-line, luxury quality materials, Laura has carved out a cruelty-free corner of the nail industry with her stunning, fun designs and easy-to-apply functionality that can be done from the comfort of your own home. Find her designs in our Kitsilano and Gastown locations!
Wearnoods
The inspiration behind creating this brand was to empower people to embrace their bodies and feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. Founder Lyn Vo believes that fashion and comfort are essential to feeling confident and happy in your daily life; Our busy lives often lead us to neglect ourselves, and we forget how something as simple as wearing our favorite outfit can change our mood and outlook. Wearnoods has developed a design for high quality, reusable silicone nipple covers, as well as one-time use fashion tape to hold you in place for more daring outfits. You can find the noods in our Guildford, North Vancouver, Richmond, Park Royal, and Gastown locations!
Vaasvi
Polymer Clay is a material that has… practically limitless applications. It can be molded and shaped into any number of shapes, colors, and textures; Vaasvi has taken that limitless potential and harnessed it to combine two very specific ideas to connect people from around the world. Noshin, the founder and maker behind Vaasvi Jewellery, moved to Vancouver back in 2016 as an international student from Bangladesh. Having grown up in Bangladesh, she always loved the traditional South Asian designs for jewelry, but also discovered a love for the more muted tones and minimalist style of Western jewelry. The goal was to combine these two distinct styles, and so Vaasvi was born - a fusion of traditional aesthetics and contemporary design, that speak to women like Noshin, who want to see sophisticated and versatile pieces that represent their love for their cultural heritages in a way that shares that beauty with all of us. The word ‘Vaasvi’ means night-time in Sanskrit, which represents femininity. Noshin uses high quality polymer clay and gold plated metals to represent the traditional style of gold jewelry from South Asia. You can find her Jewelry at our Gastown location!
Madam Radical
Madam Radical is not just a business; it’s a manifestation of one woman’s unapologetic authenticity and creativity. Inspired by a desire for unique and unconventional products, the founder embarked on a journey to create the kind of merchandise she couldn’t find elsewhere.Madam Radical actively supports other women-focused businesses, collaborating exclusively with female entrepreneurs and donating proceeds to women’s shelters like Wilma’s Transition Society.
Despite being a one-woman company, she dreams of expanding Madam Radical’s reach, envisioning a future where she can support young girls and provide them with the mentorship she was fortunate to receive - “Not all girls grow up with a mother that is a force to be reckoned with, and I think that’s a shame.” I’d like to be that force in someone’s life, if even for a few moments in time… just as a reminder that they are valuable and hold so much power. Looking ahead, Madam Radical has exciting plans for growth, including retail partnerships, collaborations, and event appearances. With each new endeavor, the brand remains dedicated to uplifting and empowering women, one bold and authentic creation at a time. 💫
Juliet925
Anita is an artist, and it is the prerogative of the artist to wander and stray from one idea to the next. So it is with Juliet925. Anita's inventory of work is ever-changing, and therefore each piece is unique. Juliet925 is not a line of products. Each piece is an expression of the moment in which it was created. If you find something you love here - and you will - don't hesitate to make it your own, because you will not find anything else like it. Juliet925 has displays in our Gastown, Metrotown, and Victoria locations - as well as a small appointment-only boutique in Langley! 💫
Jada Cianne Artistry
Jada has been a certified makeup artist working in the film industry for over 6 years now! An IMATS 2018 finalist, Jada’s career as a makeup artist launched shortly after she completed her schooling. She has all types of clients in her chair, and noticed a need for a lip gloss line that suited and complemented all shades of skin. In 2021, Jada was diagnosed with MS and contemplated how she could make an impact on the makeup industry to make it more accessible - Enter: Jada Cianne Artistry! Each of Jada’s lip gloss shades are named after a woman in her life that’s had incredible influence on her, and each tube is fitted with lights and a mirror to help with application on the go while also offering extra accessibility for everyone! You can find her full range of lip gloss shades at our Gastown location :)
Son of Suns
Son of Suns (Alex Ian), is a Vancouver based artist and screen printer. Her art style takes influence from both neo-traditional illustrations and nostalgic post-soviet designs. Growing up in both Belarus and Canada, Alex found inspiration in merging traditional slavic art, post soviet design and north american cartoons. Through the combination of all these styles she intends to find harmony, joy and humour in her practice. Alex is a dedicated member of Vanouver’s artist community and you can find her work in a few local artist spaces throughout the city, including our Gastown, North Van, and Kitsilano locations! 💫
AG Pottery
Self-proclaimed “Squisher of clay” Anna of AG Pottery has been throwing ceramics since she was a little kid! Anna got started with Pottery classes when she was still in middle school as a way of keeping busy after school days. Pottery has taught Anna many lessons that she wouldn’t have expected to learn from the medium: patience, above all! Pottery is a process that takes weeks if not months to come together, and Anna found herself so drawn to the moment the piece starts coming together. She’s self-taught and has carried it forward by teaching classes through any number of local workshop spaces, but this is the first retail setting that Anna’s had to put her things up for sale! You can find Anna’s stunning body of work at our Park Royal, Metrotown, and Gastown locations!
Raincity
A love of typography and the written word has been a common thread throughout Hilary’s design career. Calm and balance has not! After many years in the advertising, marketing and editorial industries, her desire to establish a more balanced lifestyle, where family life and a love of design could coexist, brought Hilary to create Raincity Prints. Based in rainy and fabulous Vancouver BC, Raincity Prints is an ever-growing collection of thoughtful, feminine and funny paper goods and typographic gifts, inspired by literature, parent life, friendship and wine.
Raincity Prints believes in the power of the hand-written note and in spontaneous gift-giving, and is committed to creating quality products that bring a smile –or happy tear– to life’s many mundane and momentous moments. You can find Hilary’s collections in our Gastown, Kitsilano, Metrotown, North Vancouver and Guilford locations!
Wifey’s Kitchen
It takes a really special kind of maker to walk into one of our stores, show our staff an instagram full of mouthwatering looking food dishes, and pitch her spice blends all in one fell swoop - and Bianca, also known as Chef B, absolutely embodies that! She fully had us on board with the photos full of delicious looking foods - we’ve been even bigger fans since she joined our Community Shelf in Gastown! Her spice blends are perfect for a myriad of sweet and savory food dishes - in Gastown, staff have taken to sprinkling her “Sweet Heat” and “That’s Hot” blends on their lunches, and her “Bomb Purpose” blend brings an unrivaled flavor to basically anything - even popcorn! Chef B has been in the food industry for over 10 years, and has been in the business of bringing the best of the best spices and seasonings to your table since 2016. Swing by our Gastown location to see what the hype is all about!
Bangin’ Bannock
Destiny and Kelsey were brought together by the shared aspiration to heal from their generational trauma, and create an environment where they could pick up their indigenous culture in a way that lets future generations flourish and feel proud of their identity. Bangin’ Bannock is a way to help connect people, strengthen culture, and start conversations. It’s accessible to everyone - they’ve even got a gluten free mix! Bangin’ Bannock is proud to operate in Vancouver on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish People of Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam. You can find Bangin’ Bannock in our Gastown and Park Royal Locations!
Art N Stuff by Chris
“There is a ritual to beading that binds the community together. Hours that were spent making beads may have equaled monetary wealth in the past, but hours spent beading together build the more important cultural value: Community, Indigenous identity, and healing can all be invoked through the practice of beadwork. Beading starts with Indigenous identity, both spiritually and culturally. By bringing the community of different generations together, it can be a therapeutic display of cultural resilience.” - Malinda Joy Gray
Chris is a Métis artist with maternal roots tracing back to the Red River, and started beading as a way to connect with their ancestors and pick up their native language. They take inspiration from the nature of the West Coast and traditional Métis motifs, and have channeled their learned knowledge of their native language into product names in the traditional Michif language. From stunning landscapes to dainty floral motifs, Chris’s incredible work can be found at both our Gastown and Kitsilano locations. Maarsii for taking the time to learn about their culture through this post!
Phew! Can you believe that all these talented makers are only a portion of what we have in all our stores? Although we would love to feature every single one, with 10 stores this blog post would slowly become a novel ;)
So what are you waiting for? Today is the perfect day to not only shop local, but to shop a wide selection of female-run businesses at any of our Makers locations in Ontario, BC and Alberta! To see our full list of locations, head here.
