The 815 Artisan Collective is a vendor marketplace made up of independent small businesses. Our shop is built on community, creativity, and mutual support. We value kindness, collaboration, and respect, and we expect vendors to treat fellow vendors, customers, and staff accordingly. The overall vibe of the shop matters, and both behavior and merchandise should align with the welcoming, creative spirit of The 815 Artisan Collective.
The shop focuses on handmade, repurposed, and vintage goods, and we work intentionally to maintain a balanced mix of offerings. To support that variety, we do not allow multiple vendors to sell the same or overtly similar products.
The 815 Artisan Collective handles all customer checkout through a centralized point-of-sale system and manages the collection and remittance of Illinois sales tax. Vendors receive regular sales reports and payments, with booth rent and commission applied automatically.
We ask that each vendor have a business name and an active Facebook and Instagram page. This does not mean you need to form an LLC or set up anything formal. This is simply about supporting your own visibility and the shop’s. Customers love being able to connect with the makers they’re buying from, and having business cards in your booth along with a social media presence makes it easy for them to find, follow, and share your work. Please be sure to “Like” the shop’s page and invite the shop to “Like” yours as well.
We strongly encourage using your social media pages regularly—but this doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. A quick photo when you restock, a few shots of items in your booth, sharing shop posts, supporting fellow vendors, or mentioning upcoming craft fairs all go a long way. Even small, consistent activity helps keep your work visible and often leads to increased sales over time.
To ensure a well-balanced and successful shop for everyone, we do not allow multiple vendors to sell identical products. For example, if we already have a vendor offering laser-engraved tumblers, we would not add another vendor selling the same item. In broader categories such as jewelry or home décor, multiple vendors may be accepted as long as their styles are clearly different. The only exception to this policy is seasonal items—vendors are welcome to offer common seasonal products such as pumpkins or Christmas décor.
As part of your contract, you will be asked to list the items you sell. This helps us reserve those products specifically for you within the shop. If you stop making an item or would like to introduce something new, we offer a simple contract amendment that can be submitted at any time. Please be sure to receive approval and complete an amendment before stocking new products. We know how stressful it is to remove items from a display, so we use this process to ensure that situation never arises.
Vendors are responsible for maintaining their booth so it is clean, organized, well-lit, and stocked. Booths should reflect the creative, handmade, repurposed, and vintage nature of the shop. Regular check-ins and upkeep are expected to keep the shop looking its best for customers.
Booth rental is priced at $5 per square foot, with larger booths receiving a lower cost per square foot. Below are a few common booth size examples and their monthly rental rates:
• 2’ x 3’ – $30/month
• 2’ x 4’ – $40/month
• 3’ x 5’ – $68/month
• 4’ x 6’ – $105/month
These are simply examples – booth sizes are flexible, and we’re happy to accommodate custom sizes to best fit your needs.
The shop operates on a 12% commission on sales, with no additional fees and no requirement for vendors to work shifts in the store. This rent-plus-commission structure is designed to benefit both you and the shop. Your monthly rent encourages regular restocking and active participation, while the commission model means the shop is equally invested in promoting and selling your work. When your items sell, we all succeed together.
If vendors would like to schedule time to volunteer at the shop for an hour at a time to reduce their rent by $15/hour you are welcome to do so. If you volunteer at the shop, tasks would be things like organizing the classroom, helping change displays, prepping materials for classes, or simple cleaning. Vendors that regularly volunteer could also be trained on the register if they are comfortable with that
The 815 Artisan Collective supports instructors by promoting classes through its website and social media platforms, managing class registration and payment processing, and providing the classroom space and basic setup as agreed upon. Our goal is to make teaching as smooth and accessible as possible so instructors can focus on sharing their skills and creativity with the community.
The class calendar for each month is released in the middle of the prior month, and promoting classes begins four weeks before the class takes place. Because of this timeline, instructors are strongly encouraged to schedule classes two months in advance.
We would love for you to be part of this growing, creative community. If you’re looking for more than just a booth—if you’re looking for connection, support, and a place where your work is truly valued—we’d be honored to welcome you to the 815 Artisan Collective
