Photo courtesy Sassy Happy Handmade
Richmond native Sarah Haden began a clay earring pop-up, Sassy Happy Handmade, during the pandemic. A school teacher, Haden wanted a creative outlet during the shift to virtual learning and began making brightly colored and boldly shaped polymer clay earrings. Sassy Happy Handmade’s products come in numerous styles; customers can also request custom orders. From May to December, Haden sells her jewelry at Richmond-area events including the RVA Big Market; she sells online year-round. “It’s still so surreal to see someone wearing my earrings and know that I’ve put something beautiful out into the world,” she says.
Photo courtesy Three to the Em
Graphic designer Rachel Azzinaro has turned a knack for eye-catching prints and slogans into Three to the Em, an online store and pop-up. While an art student at VCU, Azzinaro fostered an appreciation for printmaking. She began selling handmade designs through Instagram before establishing Three to the Em Prints in 2020. Her creations include bumper stickers, prints and stationery, all available from Etsy and at pop-up markets and small businesses in town. “People always talk about how Richmond is a ‘small town,’ and I really feel that support at markets,” Azzinaro says. “People aren’t looking for mass-produced art like they used to, but handmade items that you can associate with a real person in your own town.”
