Hello The Makers and Shakers : Emma + Lee
I am super duper excited to be part of The Makers and Shakers Canberra this June. It is a one day art and design market, so, if you're in town, pop in to say hello.
The Makers and Shakers Canberra Albert Hall, 100 Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla, ACT 2601 23rd June 2018
Here, I'm excited to share an interview of Emma Morris + Lee Glezos. How it all happened. What inspired them most. Their cute dog with a super cute name. These guys are so funny together. I always tell Emma she should do a talk show or a podcast (anything, so I can tune in hehe)
Read all about it below!
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1. Tell us a little bit of yourself. And how did you meet Lee?
Emma: It was in 2005 so before dating apps and social media. That means we met the old school way - at Bar Open on Brunswick St in Fitzroy (in Melbourne). But I approached Lee because I had seen him at the State Library for months (and we both used it as our office and I learnt that we were both studying for our Honours).
Lee: I agree with that story. I’d also add that 2005 really was a unique time to start a relationship. Melbourne was changing rapidly with things like the start of speciality coffee and small bar scene, there was tonnes of exciting energy coming from new-beginnings and change when we first got together.
Meet the founders. Image via themakersandshakers.com
2. We know you have cute dog named McNulty.
Emma: McNulty - he is very cute but he's a Jack Russell so very opinionated about how the world works (and at 13, very set in his ways). His latest obsession is carrots. He can't get enough of carrots.
Lee: I love that dog. When we adopted him, we did a six week 'basic manners course', where he learned things like how to sit on command, come when called, and not bark at people that came to the front door. Each week he was top of the class, but at home he flatly refused to do anything he'd leaned in class. He was making conscious choices to disobey all of our commands! In the end we just let him be free range. He sometimes likes to cuddle up on the couch, but often he's off doing his own thing.
Emma Morris in super cute vintage outfit at Round She Goes. Image via Round She Goes.
3. How did the Makers and Shakers all started?
Emma: For ten years I have run a market for women's preloved fashion called Round She Goes. Around three years ago, I noticed I was often approached by makers of things other than fashion and I realised there was a need to innovate another market just for independent makers. I enlisted Lee as my sidekick to create The Makers and Shakers Market.
Our goal was to create a mid-sized event, curating Australia's best upcoming and established makers of homewares and food, but offering participation at a fair price point.
Lee: We love to create events that we ourselves would like to attend. We had met a bunch of indie makers through Round She Goes, and developed the idea that there was a need for a market that held concepts like ‘meet the maker’ and ‘locally-made’ as its core principle. We wanted the event to be more than just exchanging money for goods. We wanted the public to feel they had licence to connect with makers, and come away from the event with a general appreciation for handmade goods.
The Makers and Shakers always draw a huge crowd. Image via themakersandshakers.com
3. The funniest thing that ever happened at the market
Emma: I'm a CRAZY Real Housewives fan (of all the cities) and probably the funnest rather than funniest is that Athena X from the Sydney franchise was a regular at our Sydney Round She Goes market and I had no idea. I loved her on the show. I Insta messaged her to tell her that I think she'd like this event as she is a fan of vintage clothing. She said, "I know darling, I already attend!" I've since met her there a couple of times (photo op!) and she is a regular shopper. She has excellent taste!
Stalls at Makers and Shakers. Image via themakersandshakers.com
4. Advice for makers out there.
Emma: Excellent photography is a game-changer for attracting the right customers and getting accepted to markets. It's worth the investment to get professional shots taken.
Lee: In terms of applying to The Makers & Shakers, being descriptive about how and why you make is really important to us. We receive such a large number of applications and we read all of them carefully. We preference locally-made and small-scale, so it's important to highlight these things, or list the sustainable/ethical dimensions of your product (e.g using local printers for stationary, using organic or fair trade ingredients in beauty products, etc.)
Flowers at the Makers and Shakers. Image via themakersandshakers.com
5. My dream job when I was a kid…
Emma: I think I wanted to be a writer. English was my favourite subject and I was the BIGGEST book worm growing up. I ended up working in book publishing for most of my pre-market career, so I came pretty close.
Lee: When I was 3 or 4 I wanted to be a waiter. Around that time I went to a relatives wedding and my mum bought me a black suit with a peacock green silk Pierre Cardin shirt. In the months following the wedding, I'd put the suit on around dinnertime and take drink orders from my family at the dinner table. Over the years, other interests took over and my dream of being a waiter went unfulfilled.
6. If you + lee were superheroes, what would you guys be?
Emma: She-Ra Princess of Power. She had excellent 80s leotards/fashion sense and is The Most Powerful Woman In the Universe. Sounds pretty good to me!
Lee: Monkey Magic was my favorite TV show growing up. Monkey was such a cheeky and lovable character. I was forever being told off by my grandmother as a kid, because I’d detach the sweeper bit from her broom, and spend hours in the backyard twirling the pole around and doing kung fu moves. I'd stand in the same spot for hours pretending to be riding the magic cloud.
Flatlay days of my favourite things. Image via May Leong.