Be A Vendor

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our upcoming spring fair will be held on May 10-12, 2024 at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.

    The hours will be:
    Friday: 5-9 PM
    Saturday: 10am-5PM
    Sunday: 10am-4PM

  • Applications for our spring 2024 fair are now closed!

    For the latest deets and announcements, sign up for our E-Newsletter and follow us on Instagram!

  • We’re looking for weird and wonderful artists, designers, makers, non-profits, and small businesses from Edmonton and Western Canada, in the following categories:
    - Art & Design
    - Apparel & Accessories
    - Bath, Body & Beauty
    - Ceramics
    - Fibre Arts
    - Home Goods
    - Jewellery
    - Toys
    - Woodworking

    For more specific information on what we’re looking for, please review our Jury Criteria.

  • Applications generally not accepted include:


    Food & Drink
    We’re located next to the bustling Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, which is likely to be a better fit for you! We will, however, consider locally-made snacks and libations that have a focus on creative branding and packaging.


    Cannabis Products
    Due to complications around licensing, OddBird does not currently allow the sale of CBD and cannabis-related products.


    Vintage Resale
    We love vintage as much as the next bird, but only apparel or objects that have been remixed or repurposed will be considered.


    Cultural Appropriation
    Vendors making work inspired by a particular culture or group should have ties to that community. If you are applying with cultural imagery, please indicate your connection to it in your application.


    Fan Art
    OddBird strives to curate a market of the most original art and craft in Edmonton. Therefore, we try to limit the sale of goods featuring licensed characters. For any vendors that specialize in pop culture/fan art, we recommend checking out the Edmonton Pop Culture Fair!


    Fine Art
    While we welcome vendors from the fine art world, OddBird is largely looking for offbeat artists with accessible price-points. With that in mind, we encourage fine artists to apply primarily with prints rather than original art. For vendors wishing to mainly sell original pieces of fine art, we recommend checking out the Whyte Ave Art Walk and the Strathearn Art Walk!


    AI-Generated Art
    This has become a hot-button issue among the art & design community. Until our robot overlords can eliminate theft and copyright infringement, OddBird does not allow vendors with work made by AI.

  • What does it cost to be a vendor?
    Vendor fees are for one in-person weekend event (Friday-Sunday). Fees include a space at the fair, a table (if requested), and a whole lotta chairs!

    The cost to vend will be:
    4-foot booth = $190 + GST
    6-foot booth = $285 + GST

    Please note that there’s no guarantee that we can offer you the full amount of space you’ve requested, but we will do our best! Accepted vendors will receive an email from OddBird with their assigned booth size.

    What about an application fee?
    There is no cost to submit an application to the fair!

    What about non-profits?
    Each season, OddBird offers one free 6-foot “community table”, to be shared by up to three arts-related non-profit organizations based in Edmonton. To apply for a free non-profit table, please email us or apply online before our Call for Vendors deadline.

  • No fees are due until you’re accepted into the fair, and we do not charge an application fee. We ask accepted vendors to pay their table fee within 2 weeks of receiving their acceptance email. We accept payment by e-transfer and issue digital receipts.

  • Life happens! If you’ve been accepted into the fair but are no longer able to participate, get in touch with us at least 4 weeks before the fair date in order to receive a full refund on your table fee. Cancellations between 3-4 weeks will be refunded at 50%. Cancellations less than 3 weeks before the fair will not be refunded.

  • OddBird welcomes first-time vendors and are here to support you! Upon acceptance to the fair, all vendors will be given access to our handy-dandy Vendor Handbook, which covers everything you need to know about being an OddBird vendor. If you have any other questions, just shoot us an email and we’ll gladly help you out!

All applications are reviewed by OddBird organizers and members of Edmonton’s art & craft community. We aim to curate a diverse vendor roster that highlights Edmonton-based BIPOC and LGBTQ2A+ vendors, as well as balances new/returning vendors and the number of vendors in each category. We also use the following jury criteria:

Jury Criteria

Creativity

We’re looking for vendors with unique perspectives! Whether you’re spinning pots, pulling prints, or doing something totally new, we’re looking for work with a cohesive and memorable vibe that’s distinctly you. For longtime vendors, we’ll also be looking for what’s new and how you’re keeping your work fresh.

Locality

OddBird strives to keep it local. We primarily accept vendors based in Edmonton and outlying communities, but will also consider unique vendors from around Alberta and elsewhere in Western Canada.

Quality

We review work as a whole package. That means we consider the level of craft, the quality of materials used, and the overall presentation of the branding/packaging (if applicable). Like our customers, we have a preference for locally-produced or handmade goods. Manufactured goods must show evidence of your own creative choices, and we try to limit mass-produced or print-on-demand items.

Vibe…ality

If your work checks these boxes, there’s a good chance you’ll fly here! OddBird looks to have a curated art & craft market, which means your work should stand out yet fit the overall vibe.

Other Tips for Success

Always proof-read your application.

Double-check your email address and social media handles for errors. If there’s a typo, we can’t contact you or find your work!

Keep it cohesive.

If you’re applying with a broad range of items (e.g., jewellery AND printmaking AND ceramics) our jury will want to see how they come together as a cohesive body of work. If you’re applying for the first time or are still finding your niche, consider applying with just one type of item (jewellery OR prints OR ceramics). Stylistically, all of your work should fit together.

Cohesion also applies to table-sharing.

Applicants who want to share a table may apply together as a collective. Like any other application, the work submitted as a collective should be complementary and feel aesthetically or thematically connected.

Make your work easy to find.

If you’re showing us your work on a website or a social media page, make sure your page has clear photos of what you plan to sell! We love a feed full of doggos, but we also want to get a solid sense of what you make.

Present yourself with polish.

Great photography can go a long way in selling your work, and bad photography can hinder a great product. The good news is it’s never been easier to create impressive product photos with basic tools like a smartphone and natural light! If you’re new to product photography, we recommend checking out a tutorial like this one from Shopify.

Consider your audience.

Customers at the fair are typically looking for unique, handmade items with a clear art-and-design focus, and we want all of our vendors to have a successful weekend. Just because your work isn’t the right fit for OddBird doesn’t mean it’s not the right fit for many of the other markets around Edmonton and Alberta. Consider what you’re selling and where your audience is!