Toni James opened Katwalk—her Mt. Vernon boutique on West Read Street—in 1999. Her shop is full of edgy and eclectic apparel and accessories.How long has Katwalk been around? We opened in 1997 in Catonsville and relocated to our permanent home in Historic Mt. Vernon in 1999. My husband and I actually searched several areas in Baltimore, but when we came upon Mt. Vernon we thought it was a great fit because of Antique Row, the boutiques of Charles Street, the restaurants/clubs, the hair salons, the colleges, museums, and the numerous festivals each year. Also we were looking for a space with more than one floor and huge windows, and that is what we found,. We love it!What inspired you to open a boutique? As a child I loved the movie Mahogany with Dianna Ross and that inspired me to design and want a boutique. My family all sew and we had a sewing club called the Busy Bees where we made all sorts of shirts and dresses. Also at Western High School I use to design my classmate's prom dresses and was the VP of the Fashionettes Fashion Club....

I asked Juliet Ames of The Broken Plate Pendant Company to send me her thoughts about being a part of the American Craft Council's AltCraft section. —JED

AltCraft Highs and Lows
I just wrapped up my first American Craft Council show as an exhibitor, and I must say it was exhausting, exhilarating, and motivating all at once. I had much the same feeling when I visited the show for the first time six years ago. I went as a part of a school trip at Towson University where I was an Inter-Disciplinary Craft major. I remember walking through, incredibly impressed with the work and thinking, “Maybe in 20 years, I will be ready for this.” Fast forward six years, I had no idea what to expect as I wheeled my suitcase of broken plate pieces into the convention center. The first day was, we’ll say, interesting. Apparently, the artists on the main floor where a little confused and resentful of the artists in the AltCraft section, where I was a vendor. The AltCraft section, in its 3rd year here, is billed...

... well, you'll have to tune in tomorrow I just got home. But what a great show. So much talent. I loved loved the AltCraft stuff, of course and was thrilled to see so many local folk. I'll do a round-up tomorrow ... but for now I'll leave you with my newest obsession out of Philadelphia—Giant Dwarf. Ohh, my. I loved everything. I bought my daughter one of her beautiful cloche hats and I'll be getting myself one next fall. Her color choices were so modern but worked within her very vintage inspired line. I loved the headbands and felt placemats. Hmmm, maybe I will head back again tomorrow. I still have my press pass. —JED

I'm so excited for this year's ACC show at the Baltimore Convention Center. I'm planning on stopping by tomorrow or Friday. My intern Nikki did some research on ACC's 34th annual retail show. The show runs until February 28th and is the largest juried, indoor craft show in the nation with over 700 artists. Admission is $15 per day, with a special $6 after 6pm price on Friday. Vendors come from all over the country to show off their talents and sell their crafts—but there are a lot of locals too.

Here's a round-up:

Ceramic artists Ronni Aronin, Tinne Debruijne, and Lenore Lampi, will have their work on display, as well as furniture from Len Dougherty, and John Gutierrez. Fabulous artwork in mixed media can be found at the booths of Susan Fleischer (Casual Elegance), Suzanne Herbert-Forton, and Elan Smadar Livne (Livne Fine Art Studio). Along with hand-crafted items for the home, you can also browse fun organic children’s clothing at Sweet Pepita. There are many unique jewelry booths to check out as well. There will be metal jewelry by Hilary Hachey, Rebecca Myers, and Theresa Carson Jewelry, enameled pieces by Shana Kroiz, and non-metal...