It's finally here...opening weekend at Governors Island! GI is my favorite "undiscovered" spot in New York and with Better Than Jam's shop opening this weekend, I couldn't be more excited!
As Simone mentioned last week, it is curated with some of the best handmade items from Etsy New York artists and is open from 10am to 6pm every weekend during the summer from Memorial Day Weekend to September 3rd. The shop is located this year in one of the island's historic apartment buildings named "The Governors Galleries."
Shop owner, Karin Persan spoke about the store's concept, “Ultimately, the goal of Better Than Jam’s collaboration with Governors Island is to offer visitors a handmade and local shopping experience, with craft demonstrations, all within the setting of a unique, peaceful and historically rich public space.” The selection includes items designed and crafted with the island in mind, and will allow every visitor to take home a tangible memento from their Governors Island visit.
Here's a sneak peak to how the shop is shaping up:
As an added bonus, every Saturday the shop is collaborating with the Etsy New York Team to share their wide range of artistic skills by hosting crafting workshops. For opening weekend, the Team is helping kick off our craft workshop series with a face painting booth at the Governors Island Family Festival this Saturday, May 26th from 12 to 4pm at Nolan Park.
The crafting workshop schedule thus far is as follows:
- May 26th: face painting (at Nolan Park)
- June 2nd: toy making
- June 9th: sun prints
- June 16th: TBA
- June 23rd: beaded ladder rings
- June 30th: card making
- July 7th: sachet making
Happy Spring and we're all very excited to see you on the Island!
-Stacy
Simone
