I could kill Gwen for stealing my FTR! We were at this damn thing together, and I had a life to go…read morelive while she ran home and stole it! Thievery! Okay, that last part was a bit harsh. But I was genuinely bummed. As the Cbus Yelp scene grows, it gets harder to find new places. CS Gallery was a bit of a surprise. I knew that a number of shops had been opening surrounding the little strip of Parsons that you'd be lying if you didn't contribute to Carabar opening up on the street five years ago or however long it's been. Back then there were maybe two other shops on this strip, excluding AWOL and Black Creek. But what I didn't expect to find was art that actually appealed to me. Not that I didn't think it could happen, or didn't think I would find such a thing at CS, but more that I have been to a large number of the galleries in the Short North and I hate about all of them. I actually enjoyed my evening at CS though. That was the surprise. They had free food, beer, and wine set up in a room off to the side, and the main room plus a back room filled wall to wall with art from regional artists (east coast and midwest mostly). They were having a contest for the best picture, but I didn't catch the winner. I saw two people I knew quite unexpectedly, one a retired philosophy professor from my alma mater, another from work. And of course the company of my friends Frankie and Gwen. What a fun time!

This interesting little shop is in the heart of the new arts district in Old Towne East. It's a…read moreprint-shop, paper-making studio, bookmaking joint, and covers everything you'd ever need to see or know about paper. If you need a unique gift, or are looking to treat yourself, check out the hand-made journals. These little lovelies are hand-bound sheets of handmade paper, and often covered with scraps of leather or other durable, interesting materials. There are sweet little notecards, sheets of textured paper, and prints on the walls. The owner, Daniel Colvin, also specializes in calligraphy. He can hand-make your wedding invitations, or any other special invitation, book, or paper product that you need. Have you seen movies about long ago, where a count or king or Dracula seals his letter with sealing wax, then stamps it with a special insignia? You can buy these kinds of stamps and sticks of wax here too- I thought those were really cool. Be like Dracula and buy your insignia here, then send off your creepy letters on handmade paper. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Let me start by saying, I don't know whose fault this is but someone. SOMEONE needs to hear this…read more Let us begin with finding the event. Yelp told me that the Columbus Axe Throwing place, where the event was being held, was next to The Continent. What is The Continent you ask? Well it's an appropriately named apartment complex, or quite possibly a small village, the size of a medium continent. We drove around this multi-neon-colored buildings for a solid 38 minutes looking for this place. Weaving around multiple (multiple!) nightclubs, the french quarter (WTAF), and what appeared to be an abandoned theater ... I was determined to browse overpriced homemade soaps, tiny pop tart pins, sarcastic baby onesies and handmade cards. DETERMINED. Yelp failed to mention that the only way to find this place was to drive through a tunnel into the depths of The Continent where you quite possibly only have a 97% chance of returning alive. But alas we found it ...and the postcard sized sign on the door. Once inside we wandered around looking for the craft fair, passing abandoned furniture, squeezing between the nets behind the batting cages, carefully passing under falling ceiling tiles until we finally reached the Craftin Outlaws sign. It was practically glowing, we made it ! It was all worth it! Spoiler Alert: Nope. There were literally 6 tiny booths of crafts. There were no other customers. Likely because no one else was willing to risk their lives or spend 45 minutes in pursuit of crafts of the outlaw variety. I browsed the crafts for 90 seconds. I haven't been this disappointed since the 2016 World Series and the 2016 election, in that order. Everything about this event was wrong with the exception of the blue slushy I got in the way out the door. Although I'm still drinking it and wouldn't be surprised if the lid fell off, spilling electric blue sludge all over my lap. The LITERAL (blue) cherry on top of the worst 46 minutes of my life.

Leading up to the craft fair their twitter account highlights vendors ahead of time. Most of them…read morehave web sites so you can peruse what's available and make a shopping list ahead of time. This was my first time at the event and I was impressed. It wasn't so crowded that you got lost or forgot where you saw something you liked. Nice variety of items were for sale. Items included recycled/upcycled glass goods, recycled/upcycled hair clips, bead/metal/leather jewelry, clothing (cowls, t-shirts, scarfs), drawings/prints, soaps/lotions and animal/hero masks. Afterwards, Craftin' Outlaws sent out a survey via Twitter to get feedback and follow-up on the event.

They did a great job with my art and their prices are very affordable. They helped me select…read moreperfect frames. Everyone is very helpful and friendly. They have a great selection of frames.

Had a strange material issue with a frame that Gregg made for me a year or two ago. They fixed it…read morewithin the day and charged me nothing. Great interactions with the people there and high quality work.

The shop has moved to a beautiful new location and the quality of items in the shop - all handmade…read more- is great!

Walked in here during Village of Lights…read more Lots of people were browsing although I saw people here and there making a purchase. They've got rooms upstairs and downstairs of crafts made by seniors. Very cool! They had some really cute OSU stuff, Christmas things, handmade scarves, artwork, home decor, etc. Loved it! Not sure what their regular hours are but I enjoyed walking through here. The stuff is all reasonably priced, so I wouldn't mind coming back to buy something.

Kid K is a budding artist, and needed a little treat today. This popped up on Yelp kinda near our…read moreroute. Very nice little shop with paper, cards, pens, etc. Some reasonably priced, some much more expensive but more professional. A good selection, for a kid or an adult. The cards were very cool. You could make your own at a table near the back. There were also journals and notebooks, etc. Staff were super friendly and helpful. Parking is typical Short North. I'm sure we will be back.

On Paper is a cute shop, perfect for finding a gift for a stationery or trinket lover. There is a…read morenice selection of papers, pens, journals, greeting cards, and more. They have some more speciality items such as sealing waxes and nice inks as well. I purchased a postcard, matchbook, and a small glass horse:) Good place to stop by while waiting for a drink order at One Line Coffee next door!

I love the moonlight market! I had the chance to walk through and shop with different merchants…read morethat were lined up on Gay and Broad St. I loved the evening stroll after a great meal at a wonderful restaurant. I always look forward to this event.

I loved the Moonlight Market before, but I reeeaaaalllyyy love it now…read more Gay Street is my favorite street in Columbus (no, not because of *that*). It's in the heart of the ever-growing downtown scene, and it feels a bit more grown-up than the Short North... no shade thrown to the ShoNo. I feel like MM really celebrates all the great local businesses of Gay Street and then also highlights local artisans and musicians. If you went in the past when it was just getting started and had a smattering of booths--go back. This year it stretches down both ends of the street, and they're adding more vendors all the time. It really feels more like a street fair now rather than a craft show... no hate to the crafts. MM in 2015 has such a cool energy; it feels very alive and filled with cheerleaders for the city. While Gallery Hop can still be a good time, it really does have a bar crawl feel to it now. MM is just so fun to grab a bite at one of the delicious restaurants (I'd recommend the underrated Plantain Cafe) and then stroll up and down the street taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells that the city has to offer. Pro tip: Park in the garage at the corner of Elm & 4th. At only $1 per hour, it's a STEAL!

I was in town visiting a friend and saw a print in her apartment that she got here and wanted one…read morefor my own apartment. I wasn't sure if it was still in stock or being sold here, since my friend bought it months earlier. I ended up reaching out to State & Third on Instagram and they got back to me very quickly about the print. They were able to order it and ship it to my apartment in Chicago easily. I'm happy I was able to support a local business from afar!

Nice little eclectic store just outside of the Sheraton in Down Town Columbus. Lots of different…read moremakers of Jewelry, T-shirts, soaps and scrubs. I came in wanting either a new pendant or a new hair accessory. I walked away with a skin scrub and 2 new hair bands. Those hair bands are quite possibly the most comfortable things I've owned.

I took an old sewing machine and serger in for repair. The knowledgeable repairman could save the…read moresewing machine but was honest about the serger saying he couldn't help me. I appreciated how helpful and honest everyone in the store was. They were great about calling me when the machine was finished and kept it for me until I got back from vacation. Just really nice people.

Sew-N-Save is such a great store and I have only had positive experiences. They are helpful and…read moreattentive. So friendly and have a great supply of sewing machines and materials and supplies. Mostly, they are wonderful at being supportive in their useful advice. The repair person is so quick and does such a great job. You will be so happy to shop there if you are into embroidery or in need of a sewing machine and some support. Cannot say enough positive things are this wonderful store.