As Northwest Arkansas’s fall craft week approaches, my mind wanders through all my memories of attending craft fairs in the area.  The smell of fresh kettle corn, the sight of beautiful, handmade crafts, the sound of excited customers as they purchase their favorite items.

However, at the back of my mind, I also thought about the 30-40 minutes that it took me to park and walk to the fair, my contorting body as I squeezed through crowds of people to get to an artist’s booth, and the sight of my shoes after I waded through inches of mud outside the craft tents. While those challenges would never stop me from attending the craft fairs (I LOVE kettle corn and handmade jewelry) they tend to keep me from making it to all of the fairs in the area.

Luckily, there is a place located in the Northwest Arkansas area that offers a curated collection of handmade crafts from artisans without some of the challenges that may occur during the craft fairs – the Crystal Bridges Museum Store.

The artisans featured at the Museum Store are part of the Regional Artisan Program where those from Arkansas and its surrounding states are selected by a committee to have their crafts sold in the store.

Here are some of the artisanal craft items currently on sale at the Museum Store:

Lanuti’s Glass

Millefiori Earrings, $12

Back to Nature Woodworks

Journals, $40-$85

Ron East Pens

Wood Pens, $36-$84

Jim Young Pottery

Various Pieces, $22 – $125

Platter, $300

Flying Pig Guitars – Cigar Box Guitars

3-String Cigarbox Guitar, $125 

1-String Canjo, $30

Cigarbox Bluetooth Speaker, $75

3-String Cigar Box Ukulele, $130

Leon Niehues

Baskets, $140 – $1,900

Be sure to stop by the Crystal Bridges Museum Store during your visit. We are always looking for more artisans to be involved with the program and would love to hear about why you think your favorite artisans and their crafts should be featured in the store. Feel free to bring business cards!

Crystal Bridges Artisans / Craft Fair & Dates

Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival – October 17 – 19

Christina Smith

Bill Koch

War Eagle Craft Fair – October 17 – 20

Daaman Porcelain – Tent 2 (Row 1 Booth 10)

HeART of Rogers Craft Fair – October 18 & 19

Regenerous Designs

This post was written by Carly Sandidge, Assistant Merchandising Manager.