Plenty of headlines have warned of backed up ports and limited selections on store shelves. For a growing group of area makers this is not an issue for the holiday season. Modern-day artisans are turning raw materials into coveted gifts right here in Flint.
Stephen Shippritt started out thinking he wanted to make some T-Shirts with the logos of his favorite musicians. Savage Village Collective soon turned into much more, creating enamel pins, decals and posters, most of it made by hand at Flint’s Factory Two. The shirts themselves quickly moved beyond basic silk screening as well.
“I’ve gotten into more involved ways to manipulate garments, including tie-dying, hydro-dipping, ice dying and distressing. All are methods that add value and help separate Savage Village from other vendors.”
In 2021 alone Shippritt traveled as far as the Pacific Northwest, Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio to sell at music festivals, but he’s found another way to use his maker skills without leaving home.
“Recently we’ve gotten into doing wholesale for other sellers, collaborating on garments that we enhance before they add their designs. Flint’s GoodBoy Clothing, King 810 and Flint Rat Films are some local partners, but we’ve also done work for national record labels and brands.”
Throughout the process, Shippritt has become a regular at Factory Two, willing to help other creatives with their projects. This maker-to-maker sharing is a big part of building a maker community, and ensuring Flint made products stand out wherever they are sold.
Chris Bohinsky (pictured above in banner photo) has been a maker his entire life, enjoying the challenge of figuring out how something is made and teaching himself to replicate it. Those interests have come together at Factory Two, where he works as the manager and also produces his own line of handcrafted good under the moniker Berk’s Trading Post. His most recent creation is a handcrafted mug that brings together several maker skills.
“This started out as a specific request – an allergen friendly drinking mug made in a Viking style. From there the elements came together in four different workshop areas at Factory Two. Woodshop for the mug, forge for the handcrafted iron bands, leatherworking for the wrapped handle and even a laser-cut logo on the bottom.”
The finish is a natural walnut oil and beeswax mixture that protects the wood without passing on any chemical taste. Even the beeswax is from the makerspace, gathered from the hives behind Factory Two on the banks of the Flint River. Berk’s Trading Post goods are available online and at vendor fairs, and Bohinsky is working to fill multiple orders before Christmas morning.
For Naomi Villaranda it was the pandemic that jumpstarted her sewing business. She was asked to create a facemask with a clear panel that would allow lip reading for the deaf and hard of hearing community. At Factory Two, she experimented with different styles and materials before creating a prototype and filling several orders. When the fabrication demands grew, she donated her pattern to a local non-profit for mass production.
“I’ve gotten back into making at the urging of a coworker who wanted a unique gift for his daughter. I enjoy altering patterns to knit or crochet hats, scarves and cowls. Paring a design, yarn styles, and color combinations results in something personal that can’t just be bought off the shelf.”
Factory Two bills itself as Flint’s Community Makerspace, and is open year round for makers of all types to take classes, source materials, and scale up production. There are special rates and programs for veterans, seniors, educators, students, and Flint businesses. E-mail or visit them online for more information.
Links:
- Factory Two, Flint’s community makerspace: https://www.facebook.com/FactoryTwo
- Berk’s Trading Post: https://www.facebook.com/BerksTradingPost
- Savage Village Clothing: https://www.facebook.com/savagevillagecollective