Behind the Scenes with Pedaler's Fair - Swift Industries
The Pedaler’s Fair is being organized by a dedicated team of three, each passionate about the bicycle and the local cycling community.
Sonia McBride is an apparel designer whose company, BabeCycle, specializes in functional yet fashionable cycling clothes and accessories for women. She values well designed products, and places great emphasis on supporting local and small businesses. As a, independent-business entrepreneur, Sonia is organizing Pedaler’s Fair to highlight the diversity of makers in her local community and to celebrate the city that supports its small businesses with undying enthusiasm. Sonia moonlights as a stitcher Swift Industries.
Jason Goodman is co-owner of Swift Industries, a Seattle based pannier and bicycle-bag company. Jason agrees that Pedaler’s Fair would be invaluable to micro businesses in Washington. He is inspired to to provide a showcase for people endeavoring in their bicycle related businesses, but he also feels that, “Society as a whole needs to step back from large global markets. We need to focus more time and energy investing in our local community, from retail and manufacturing through agriculture.”
Ryan Shuetze is at the helm of Seattle’s bicycle blog Go Means Go. His emphasis is to get people off the computer and onto their bikes and has been planning and promoting cycling events that encourage the growth of the cycling community. Pedaler’s Fair is a natural in the sequence of bicycle races, benefits, and movie screenings Ryan has organized in Seattle. His mission statement reads, “It’s about generating content that encourages the reader to 1) ride their bike 2) support their local cycling community 3) ride their bike more.” These three tenets are exactly what inspire Ryan to co-host the first annual Pedaler’s Fair.
The first annual Pedaler’s Fair will provide a marketplace for our small, up-and-coming bicycle entrepreneurs and work to bring the cycling community together!
Why do you think there is such a strong connection between people who ride bikes and people who craft?
From our perspectives, bicycling is enjoying a vibrant upswing as part of a larger reaction to both the downturned economy, and conversations about social and environmental sustainability. We’ve noticed that incredibly innovative and fresh approaches to business and lifestyle have emerged in recent years, and one can’t neglect to draw a cultural connection to bicycling and entrepreneurship. We encounter people all the time who have had hours cut at work, or been laid off, and decided to take a leap and start that home-spun business they’ve been dreaming of. In an ever globalizing economy it is inspiring to see people starting local bike shops, raising chickens in their own yards, putting pop-up shops in uninhabited retail spaces, and more.
We think that these changes are stoked by people craving a deeper connection to their sense of place and work. Using bicycles for transportation and travel connect us to the cultures and climate in the place we live. It’s that sensory experience which draws us to ride!
Why do you think there are so many craft/makers and cyclists in Washington State?
We live in a beautiful place! Why wouldn’t you want to ride through it and allow it to inspire you to make wonderful things? What workshops do you have lined up?
It’s a great pleasure to host a presentation by Russ and Laura of Path Less Pedaled. The couple has just returned from bicycle tour in New Zealand and their Northwest fans are in for some wonderful stories and inspirations from the road! We hope Seattle’s amazing non-profit Bike Works will provide bike-parking and add some basic mechanic workshops to the program. To complement our amazing vendors we are going to have local music and hoppy beverages throughout the day. We’re planning for some yoga for cyclists, and bicycle photography–stay tuned for event and workshop updates!
Is there an admission fee? Admission is free to the first annual Pedaler’s Fair.
For information about the vendors signed up head to http://pedalersfair.com/vendors/
