How did Patchwork Show start?
After high school, Nicole Stevenson left Orange County and moved to San Francisco seeking a community of fellow creatives. Delilah stayed in Orange County and sought out interesting places and people in her own backyard. Thirteen years later, Nicole moved back to Southern California and into Delilah’s house. Nicole had been running a handmade business and selling her goods at craft shows. Delilah had been working hard to connect like-minded people, build a community of creatives and opened up an eco-shop that served as a meeting place for workshops and education in food, craft and the environment. One night, over a few glasses of wine on the patio, the girls got to talking. Finally they were both living in the same place and seeking the same thing… community and coolness in their town.
Craft show veteran Nicole was getting tired of trekking to big cities for festivals and Delilah was frustrated with the lack of cool free things to do in Orange County and wanted to unite the community of creatives she had built. They wanted to give other Orange County makers a local venue to showcase their goods. They started brainstorming and a few weeks later, they set a date and found a location for the first Patchwork Show.
That first Patchwork Show took place in the parking lot of Delilah’s brick and mortar store and had 25 vendors. Just a few years later, Delilah and Nicole were producing six shows a year in three cities with nearly 200 vendors at each event. We are grateful to have helped incubate hundreds of creative businesses who got their start at Patchwork Show and look forward to helping more creative entrepreneurs build their businesses.
“There are so many creative people in EVERY city and town, not just in the big cities. You don’t have to go where the ‘cool’ is, it’s right in your own backyard.” – Delilah Snell
“Craft can make the world a better place…the feeling one gets from making something with their hands is beyond empowering.” – Nicole Stevenson