Handmade Detroit’s VMKT

Hot take alert: Valentine’s Day might be the worst holiday of the bunch. Don’t get us wrong, we love love — feeling it, giving it, making it — but we think everyone can agree that this holiday (which may or may not have originated during the Roman fertility festival, during which goats and dogs were sacrificed and then used to, like, whip women so they would be more fertile breeding machines, thanks NPR) is kind of a drag. Grocery store flowers? The latest hideous big-box jewelry store offering, the “infinity forever blood diamond necklace”? How about an assortment of chocolate made by child slaves? OK, so we’re being a little cynical when there are actually some amazing ways to celebrate people you like and love this Valentine’s Day. For eight years running, Handmade Detroit (the folks that produce the Detroit Urban Craft Fair) has presented VMKT, a curated Valentine’s Day shopping experience with more than 35 local makers and all of their handmade wares. As in previous years, this year’s market will offer make-and-take stations, this time, hosted by POST, Glass Action, Reware Vintage, Arsenal Handicraft, and more. Illustrator Jodi Lynn will host the photo booth, and there will be a DJ, too, kicking out the romantic jams. Damn. We might be crushing on Valentine’s Day right now.