Sponsors :: INDIEana Handicraft Exchange

Presenting Sponsor: Silver in the City Kristin Kohn is a closet crafter.

“I don’t want to craft for other people, but I like sewing and knitting and doing projects at home for myself,” the shop owner said. “I like having other people to talk about it with and I like the idea of developing a community of craftspeople here who are doing more modern, urban things.”

Kohn, 36, is the owner of a trio of successful Massachusetts Avenue boutiques: Silver in the City, At Home in the City, and Nurture. Her shops sell jewelry, housewares, and children’s clothing, respectively, each with an eye to cool, contemporary design. A former graphic designer herself, Kohn committed early to selling items on commission for local artists. She has worked with numerous artists and artisans over the last nine years, most notably Jeffrey Weatherford, Chris Foster of Fosterweld, and Eric Nolan and Rebekah Kolp of Flatland Kitchen.

As an extension of her commitment, Kohn is a steadfast supporter of the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, having partnered with the group for each of its first four events. She is the only sponsor to have done so. “I know how hard it can be to spearhead a project as big as this, so I was immensely relieved when [IHE founder] Amanda [Mauer Taflinger] took it on,” Kohn said. “I definitely wanted to be supportive of it.”

In addition to her role as presenting sponsor of the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange Fall 2009 show, Kohn will host seven IHE vendors as part of the Mass Ave. Fall Gallery Walk on Friday, Sept. 4. “Some of them will be in the store and some of them will be out in front because I want to have a really cool street experience,” Kohn said.

Items by Aggressively Awesome Stitches, Bad Ass Glass, Bebito, Lindsey Lord Designs, Jerry Lee’s Western Wear, Studio AMF and VanHoy Pottery will be on sale, giving Gallery Walkers a sneak preview of the IHE Fall 2009 show, to be held on Oct. 2-3 at the Harrison Center for the Arts. SITC will also feature work by other local artists, including quilts by Crimson Tate and jewelry by Evan Knox, Julie Sipe and Terri Hanson.

Even though Kohn’s own works won’t be on display any time soon, each of her undertakings is infused with the desire to prove a single, simple point. “You don’t have to go abroad or to the coasts or to the big cities to find the best design,” she said.