Join our team!

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The NY Handmade Collective is not accepting membership applications at this time. But, we’re excited for you to apply next round! More information about the timing of our biannual application windows is detailed below.

Instead, we encourage you to fill out and submit our interest form now. There, you can opt-in to notifications, and we’ll email you when applications open again (January and July each year). The membership notification listserv is separate from our general NYHC newsletter.

👋 Interested in joining the NY Handmade Collective?

Established in 2007, the NY Handmade Collective is the nonprofit artisan and maker guild of NYC. When you join as a NYHC member, you'll become part of a knowledgeable and supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs. 

We’re 100% powered by members volunteering and collaborating on behalf of all of us. We help each other achieve our creative and business goals through selling opportunities, member promotion, community, professional development, and more.

✨ Team Member Benefits

  • Apply for vendor spots at markets only open to members (e.g., prior opportunities have included BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, the NYHC Holiday Handmade Cavalcade, and the West Side County Fair)

  • Apply for team vendor spots at partner markets (e.g., prior opportunities have included Brooklyn Pop-Up and Grand Bazaar NYC)

  • Increase visibility and legitimacy for customers, retailers, and editors through:

  • Partner organization perks:

  • Attend exclusive events, workshops, and panels

  • Network and collaborate with ~210* members in-person and online

  • Access our private online community, where we share information, resources, and advice

*as of October 2023

📅 Timing

We open member applications twice a year, in January and July. New members are onboarded in February and August.

The July 2024 application window will be announced at a later date.

After applying and being accepted, new members must complete a simple onboarding process within 4 weeks of applications closing. Aside from a mandatory orientation session, onboarding tasks are done asynchronously. Accepted applicants who can’t complete onboarding by the deadline will be unable to join the team.

✅ Eligibility & Requirements

To apply for membership, you need:

  • an active online storefront** with at least 5 handmade items for sale—made by you or your team

  • to live or work within 1 ½ hours of NYC

  • a Gmail address

** Selling only through social media / DMs does not meet the storefront requirement. Storefronts include Shopify, Squarespace, Etsy, etc, and must be open and able to process orders (i.e., not on vacation or hiatus).

To accept an invitation to join us and become a member, the 4 step onboarding process is to:

  1. create a public member profile

  2. pay member dues: $40 if joining in February, or prorated $20 if joining in August ***

  3. attend an orientation session (held every February and August, dates TBA)

  4. join our online community

*** If the cost of dues would be a burden, please consider applying to our Access NYHC program—details below.

🖐 Handmade Requirements

  • An Etsy shop is not required to join. We do, however, follow Etsy's guidelines for determining what is handmade: https://www.etsy.com/legal/handmade

  • Businesses that do not make their own products, or that have items handmade for their businesses outside of the local NYC area, are not eligible.

  • Businesses that import handmade goods from outside the country, or work with overseas artisans, are not eligible.

  • Handmade businesses that only sell through social media and/or direct messages are not eligible.  

  • Vintage resellers or supply stores are not eligible.  

If we cannot determine from your application if your business is eligible, we may ask for more information to verify. Information requested may include disclosing who helps you make your products, process and studio photos or videos, and more.

🔑 Access NYHC Program

We believe becoming a solopreneur can make a powerful impact on people's lives. Having access to a supportive community makes all the difference.

We're excited to sponsor handmade business owners to join us for a free full- or half-year membership (i.e., for applications that open in January or July, respectively). We especially encourage members of historically marginalized communities to apply for sponsorship, including BIPOC, or anyone who finds the cost of dues a barrier to entry.

Access program applicants still need to meet all of the membership and onboarding requirements listed above, aside from paying dues to join. Recipients will receive:

  • a free full- or half-year membership (i.e., for applications that open in January or July, respectively)

  • full access to our community and opportunities

  • if desired, a volunteer role matched to recipients' schedules and skills

How to apply to the Access NYHC program: The general membership application contains a question where you can let us know you want to be considered for the Access program.

🧁 Handmade Food Businesses

We welcome applications from all businesses with handmade products, regardless of product category. However, the member benefits for food businesses are currently not as robust as what we can offer non-food businesses, This is due to the composition of our team (99% artisan craft makers).

📝 How To Join the NY Handmade Collective

The NY Handmade Collective is not accepting membership applications at this time. Instead, we encourage you to fill out and submit our interest form now. There, you can opt-in to notifications, and we’ll email you when applications open again (January and July each year). The membership notification listserv is separate from our general NYHC newsletter.

We review each application, and we reserve the right to accept or reject any applicant. We do not judge applicants based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital or family status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or record of arrest and conviction.

📧 Questions?

Please reach out to the Membership Director at info@nyhandmadecollective.org.