Renegade Craft

What Renegade Craft does

Renegade Craft operates a network of curated craft fairs across five major US cities (Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle), connecting independent artists, makers, and designers directly with consumers of handmade goods. Founded in 2003 by Susannah Daly with its inaugural Wicker Park Fair in Chicago, the company has expanded methodically over more than two decades, hosting multiple events annually in each city at venues including Fort Mason Center, Los Angeles State Historic Park, Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan, and Magnuson Park in Seattle. Each fair curates 200-250+ independent vendors across categories such as ceramics, jewelry, clothing, accessories, food and beverage, and home goods. The company does not operate proprietary technology infrastructure; supporting tools include an online vendor application portal, an email newsletter, an event calendar, and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Flickr). Renegade is a private, founder-led company with 1-10 employees, organized as a small physical-event operator rather than a technology or e-commerce platform.

The business model is primarily event-driven: revenue is generated through vendor application and booth/participation fees paid by independent artists and makers, with a secondary, optional $5 suggested attendee entry contribution collected via QR code onsite. Go-to-market is community-based, relying on grassroots reputation, social media presence, email marketing, and word-of-mouth to attract both vendors (via an application/curation process) and shoppers. The customer base is horizontal and highly fragmented across small creative businesses and individual makers, with no enterprise or anchor-customer dependencies. Pricing for vendors is not publicly disclosed, and the company has no parent, no institutional investors, no M&A activity, and no disclosed funding rounds in the available data.

Name

Renegade Craft

Legal name

Renegade Craft

Website

https://renegadecraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Renegade Craft operates a network of curated craft fairs across five major US cities, connecting independent artists, makers, and designers directly with consumers of handmade goods through vendor booth-fee events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Curated Craft Fair Events

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Events & Experiences (Trips, Houses, Retreats) (MPAAAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Curated craft fairs
• Artisan marketplace events
• Handmade goods fairs
• Independent maker events
• Craft event curation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vendor Booth Fees: Independent artists and makers pay application and booth fees to participate in Renegade Craft Fairs. Applications are submitted through the company's website and vendors are curated for each event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Renegade Craft organizes and curates multi-day craft fair events held annually in five U.S. cities (Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle), each hosting 200-250+ independent artists, designers, and makers who sell handmade goods directly to attendees. Vendors apply and pay booth fees to participate, while attendees pay a suggested $5 entry donation.

Product overview

Renegade Craft is an event-based company that operates a network of curated craft fairs across five U.S. cities. The core product is the Renegade Craft Fair series, which features hundreds of vetted independent artists and makers selling handmade goods. The company also provides a vendor application platform for artists to apply for participation, maintains a mailing list for community engagement, and operates an event calendar. The product portfolio consists of the fair events themselves (the primary revenue driver), the artist application system, and communication/marketing tools for the creative community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renegade Craft Fair A curated, multi-day craft fair event held annually in five U.S. cities (Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle), featuring 200-250+ independent artists, designers, and makers who sell handmade goods directly to attendees. Vendors apply and pay booth fees to participate; consumers pay a suggested $5 entry donation.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Etsy: The dominant online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, serving many of the same independent artist vendors Renegade Craft features at its fairs. Functions as a broad incumbent in the same maker economy, although operating via an entirely digital 24/7 marketplace model.
• Faire: Wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands and makers with retailers. Targets the same small-batch maker vendor base Renegade Craft serves but in a B2B wholesale channel, providing independent makers with an alternative to physical fairs for scaling sales.
• Maker Faire: Large-scale maker community events historically operated nationwide, featuring independent makers, crafters, and inventors. Overlaps with Renegade Craft's maker-community focus but operates at much broader scope including technology, science, and engineering rather than curated handmade goods.

Direct peers

• Urban Air Market: Curated pop-up marketplaces in the Bay Area and Los Angeles featuring independent designers and makers. Closely mirrors Renegade Craft's selection process, target customer (design-conscious shoppers), and reliance on vendor booth fees.
• Craft Lake City: Utah-based nonprofit that produces an annual DIY Festival and accompanying curated markets featuring local makers, artisans, and STEM-focused creators. Comparable to Renegade Craft as a curated multi-disciplinary maker event with vendor fees and consumer attendance.
• West Coast Craft: Operates curated weekend craft fairs in the San Francisco Bay Area featuring independent makers across categories similar to Renegade Craft (ceramics, jewelry, apparel, home goods). Directly comparable on curation model, vendor selection process, and target shopper demographic.

Others

• American Craft Council: National nonprofit that produces craft shows and fairs (including the Baltimore American Craft Council shows) and supports the craft community. Comparable audience and vendor overlap, but operates as an industry organization with a broader educational and advocacy mandate.

Regional players

• Crafty Fox Market: Curated craft markets in London and other UK cities featuring independent makers and designers. Closely comparable on curation and event format, but operates in a different geography from Renegade Craft.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RenegadeCraft
• Instagraminstagram.com/renegadecraft
• Xx.com/renegadecraft

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renegade Craft