The online marketplace has opened up a world of options for shoppers, including one-of-a-kind wares from artisans and crafters right here in Berks County. Thanks to websites like Etsy, you can buy local, score a handmade masterpiece, and never even have to change out of your jammies in the process.
1 | Dainty dresses.
Locally-sourced, upcycled vintage fabrics get a second life as adorable bespoke dresses and skirts for budding fashionistas, with keen attention to details like sweet little pockets in contrasting prints, and other children's accessories including teeny, tiny neckties. Now if only these came in adult sizes.
Fractured Bloom Dress, $68, made to order in sizes 6 months to 5 years, Sneaky Pea by Bridget Steuer, Womelsdorf. facebook.com/sneakypeapod, etsy.com/shop/sneakypea
2 | Top it off.
Define your love with a handmade wire masterpiece perched upon your wedding cake. Designer Amber Weaver gives a contemporary spin to classic motifs like these whimsical love birds, customized name or initial toppers, and other sculptural pieces like bridal hangers and ornaments. All share clean lines and impeccable design.
Love bird cake topper, $30, Deliziare, Robesonia. etsy.com/shop/deliziare
3 | Do good.
Inspired by the 36,000 elephants killed for their ivory in 2013 alone, artist Suzanne Fellows pledged to create a herd of one-of-a-kind gouache prints marking 99 elephants a day for an entire year. Half of the profits from each go to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, where orphans from ivory poaching are raised until they can be reintroduced into the wild.
“99 Elephants a Day” print, $9, online or at Studio 312, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St., Reading. Suzannefellows@gmail.com. etsy.com/shop/99elephantsaday
4 | A rare find.
Becky Peters has an eye for chic vintage decor, curating her treasures into an eclectic online shop that specializes in home goods in styles ranging from industrial to mid-century to glam Hollywood Regency. This fetching pair of lamps balances neutral tones and smooth turned wood necks with bright white ceramic bases.
Mid-century Danish Modern lamps, $228, The Relic Trail, Wyomissing. etsy.com/shop/therelictrail
5 | Retro baubles.
Wear your love of Reading on your, er, wrist with a stretchy Pagoda bracelet made from a vintage postcard print. Each petite tower is encased in a chunky resin and glass bead. A definite conversation starter! Or shop for other pop culture and bookish motifs — a Great Gatsby pendant anyone? — in the oh-so-retro shop.
Pagoda bracelet, $20, by Magpie Fancies, Wyomissing. Heidiziemer@gmail.com. facebook.com/MagpieFancies, etsy.com/shop/MalteseMagpie
