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Austinites support area small businesses at Renegade Craft Fair
Austinites gathered in East Austin for the annual Renegade Craft Fair, which for almost 20 years has offered small businesses, creators and residents a venue to support each other.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin residents supported Small Business Saturday at the Renegade Craft Fair in East Austin. For one local business owner, it’s about helping others while sharing her talents.
Angela Solano started her business Pria Handcrafted Accessories about two and half years ago to help her sister.
"She unfortunately got divorced and at the same time her youngest boy was born with a disease, so she had to take him almost every day to therapy, doctor’s appointments, so it was very sad for our entire family," Solano said.
In order to help emotionally and financially, she started designing handmade earrings, headbands, and bags.
"Earrings can take from three hours to eight hours, there is one piece that takes one day to make and our bags for example, take one week to make," Solano said.
She said it’s hard work running a small business.
"When I started my business, I didn’t know that it was going to demand that much energy, and time, and sacrifice, but it’s so rewarding when I see my customers loving our pieces, loving what we have, wearing them," Solano said.
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Through her business, she’s helping her sister and others. "Now we are supporting more than 30 women, mostly single women like my sister," Solano said.
Austin resident Karen Fuller said that’s why she supports local.
"I’m actually happy to pay a little bit of a premium because it’s really supporting something good," Fuller said.
Supporting local also helps the community.
"People complain about how all these new big box places, these big retailers and this helps to maintain that flavor of Austin, not necessarily keeping it so weird, but keeping it local, keeping it handmade, keeping it artisan, stuff that really attracted people here I feel to begin with," Fuller said.
Fuller said she always finds unique Christmas gifts when coming to the Renegade Craft Fair.