We’ve visited Bay-Made, a gift and souvenir shop, on Lakeshore Ave several times. And we could write volumes about owner, Sarahjane’s vision and dedication to bringing us works exclusively by Bay Area artists, artisans, craftspeople, and makers. No doubt, she has an eye for talent. This means, as shoppers, we get spoiled. Absolutely, Bay-Made has a quality selection of artwork, jewelry, crafts, plants, greeting cards, home decor, accessories, art supplies, and other intriguing curios.
And it’s easy to tell that customers enjoy shopping there. There is always plenty of dialogue between shoppers. You’ll hear “Come over here and check this out!” or “Wow, that’s so cool” or “Oh, I have to get this.” And so on.
But there’s so much more to Bay-Made, than that. It’s also You-Made. Indeed, Sarahjane has built a community of creativity. Here, you can explore your own imagination’s potential through workshops and artists events. Here’s the link to their workshops.
However, it’s Kid-Made that is the real magic. And, there are plenty of programs. For example, they have arts and crafts summer camps. Or, there’s Parents Night Out: Kids go to Bay-Made and exercise their creative energy while the parents go on a date. From what we understand, after school classes are in the works too. Here’s the link to their kids activities.
Like we always say: You can’t buy that on the internet.
A Little about the Kid-Made Magic
Okay, so we fell in love with the Kid-Made programs in July. We spent a couple of hours watching kids enthusiastically finish up their projects for the week. They were loving every minute of it. For us, being there to watch was nothing short of a heart-melting experience.
When we walked in, the 6 and 7 year-old artists were a little shy. But, within 5 minutes they proudly paraded their creations and related their stories about them. Their imaginations took them to fairy lands, magic kingdoms, the wilderness, and beyond. Then they would go off to focus on finalizing their work. They explored working with furry fabrics, clay, paint, yarn, marbles and beads, and all sorts of other artist materials. They were seriously enjoying themselves and each other. But we were having the most fun!
None of this would have been possible without their inspired teacher, Whitney Weber. She was expertly and lovingly orchestrating the joyfully intense class. She possesses a handy talent to somehow always be in 5 places at once. There she was explaining how to use a glue gun, helping to add limbs to a magic creature, or aiding a young creative as he constructed his shadow box. It all begged the question: How does she do that?
Then it was all over. Very happy parents picked up their artists and their Oakland-Made art!
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It’s About Bay-Made
And it’s easy to tell that customers enjoy shopping there. There is always plenty of dialogue between shoppers. You’ll hear “Come over here and check this out!” or “Wow, that’s so cool” or “Oh, I have to get this.” And so on.
A Little about the Kid-Made Magic
When we walked in, the 6 and 7 year-old artists were a little shy. But, within 5 minutes they proudly paraded their creations and related their stories about them. Their imaginations took them to fairy lands, magic kingdoms, the wilderness, and beyond. Then they would go off to focus on finalizing their work. They explored working with furry fabrics, clay, paint, yarn, marbles and beads, and all sorts of other artist materials. They were seriously enjoying themselves and each other. But we were having the most fun!
