After three days at the New York International Gift Fair, I think I can speak for all 30,000 buyers (from 50 states and 77 countries) when I say our feet hurt and we’re overstimulated. But the show goes on. Shop owners stayed focused, searching for holiday goods and for that special something that would jar customers out of their recessionary coma.
 
Katie Ukrop and Diana Mathews of Quirk Gallery spent most of their time studying the many pieces of jewelry and other artist-made goods in the Handmade section of the fair, which comprised two floors at the Jacob Javits Center. With 575 booths in Handmade and each jewelry booth filled with hundreds of pieces, Ukrop and Mathews searched hard for items that their customers won’t find everywhere else. Here’s what they were particularly excited about:

The Diana Camera
In a booth that announced “The future is Analog,” these fun, plastic cameras drew a crowd. They’re decidedly low-fi – they require film! But the photos are surprisingly great; moody and atmospheric. The Quirk girls ate them up and ordered a slew.

K.Studio Pillows
These sweet, organic-cotton pillows with customizable embroidered “family portraits” caught Ukrop’s eye. She was familiar with the work of this Michigan mother-daughter design studio. Their whimsical characters cover the lobby walls at the Affinia Shelbourne Hotel, where Ukrop had stayed on a previous New York trip.

Candy-Wrapper Rugs
At a fair where everything recycled/repurposed was a hit – rubber tires made into frames; old tennis rackets became mirrors; even keyboards were reinvented into purses – these colorful rugs were perhaps the most unusual recycled good on display. They’re made from recycled cookie and candy wrappers. Their crinkly-plastic texture meant that they can be sponged or hosed off to clean. Most of the mats were colorful, but Ukrop and Mathews particularly liked the clear ones.