One of a Kind Spring Show

Chicago’s One of a Kind Spring Show opens Friday, April 24, bringing more than 350 artists and makers to the 7th floor of THE MART for a three-day handmade market. (choosechicago.com) The show runs April 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and April 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza. Tickets are sold through the show’s website, and admission includes re-entry on all three days. (oneofakindshowchicago.com 1) (oneofakindshowchicago.com 2) Organizers say this spring edition will feature more than 350 jury-selected exhibitors from across North America, including 35 emerging artists and more than 150 first-time participants. Shoppers can buy directly from makers instead of through retailers or galleries. (oneofakindshowchicago.com) (oneof-akind.files.svdcdn.com) The event has become a regular spring stop at THE MART, where Chicago’s design and retail crowds mix with gift shoppers looking for ceramics, jewelry, fashion, home goods, and specialty foods in one indoor venue. THE MART lists the show as open to the public and says it draws thousands of shoppers. (themart.com 1) (themart.com 2) This year’s show lands at the start of Chicago’s spring festival season, when indoor events still compete with unpredictable lakefront weather. Choose Chicago includes the market in its city event calendar for the weekend of April 24–26. (choosechicago.com) (choosechicago.com) The format is part shopping trip, part studio visit. The show’s organizers advertise live maker demonstrations and direct conversations with exhibitors, giving buyers a chance to ask how pieces are made before they purchase them. (oneofakindshowchicago.com) (oneofakindshowchicago.com) Visitors arriving by train can use the Merchandise Mart stop on Chicago Transit Authority Brown and Purple Line trains, which the show’s FAQ says drops riders on the building’s second floor. The venue page also points drivers to parking garages within a four-block radius. (oneofakindshowchicago.com) (oneofakindshowchicago.com) For Chicago shoppers, the weekend is a chance to browse handmade work in one place before Mother’s Day, graduation season, and summer weddings crowd the calendar. For the artists, it is three days of face-to-face selling in one of the city’s biggest design buildings. (themart.com) (oneofakindshowchicago.com)