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| Photo: Brian Dressler |
"As strategic business partners, trendsetters, conversation starters, and enthusiastic community cheerleaders, Tracie Broom and Debi Schadel are the go-to girls for, as their tag line puts it, Events + Communications for a Brave New South. They’ve launched successful brand campaigns for unique-to-Columbia clients like Bone-In Artisan BBQ on Wheels, Motor Supply Co. Bistro, Marina Bay, Hay Hill Garden Market, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, and the Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival. On the event side, if you’ve enjoyed EngenuitySC’s Science Café, 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios, SHE Columbia, ConvergeSE, CraftyFeast, or Slow Food at Indie Grits (among many others), you have these ladies to thank. Both explain what led them to careers in event-based marketing and social media campaigns." (Read more.)
"2012: Month by Month, The Year in Entertainment" by Otis Taylor, Jr., The State Newspaper, January 4, 2013:
"It’s the first week of 2013, and there’s already a bevy of concerts, parties and events on the scene’s entertainment and cultural calendar. But let’s take a look back at 2012, if only to gauge how cool this year has to be to top the last.
This entry is simply a short love letter: Flock and Rally, I love you. You make this city feel special." (Read more.)
"Getting at Unique, Crafty Gifts in Columbia" by Mindy Lucas, The State Newspaper, December 16, 2013:
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| Photo: C. Michael Bergen for The State |
"Schadel, who came up with the idea for the juried fair of mostly homemade or handcrafted items about four years ago, seems to have tapped into a niche in Columbia.
While the event has grown in size since the first Crafty Feast held in the Eau Claire community, the show has begun attracting those outside of the Columbia market. And yet, it seems to have held on to its comfortable, homegrown feel.
That’s exactly what Schadel says she was going for Saturday, down to the smooth-flowing IKEA-style floor setup, as she jokingly called it, to the curtainless booths.
“It keeps it open,” she said. “A lot of people have told us they really like the open feel of it.” (Read more.)
"Crafty Feast Brings Southeastern Artisans" by Rodney Welch, Free Times, December 12, 2013:
"When Debi Schadel founded Crafty Feast in 2009, she was hoping to create an offbeat and original annual event for local artisans.
The independent craft fair began as part of the Ribs and Renaissance Festival in Columbia’s Eau Claire neighborhood.
That’s why she has the word feast on it, she says, “because it was connected to the food festival.”
Since then, it has since taken on a life of its own, popping up on a semi-annual basis around Columbia. This Saturday, which marks the sixth Crafty Feast, the event will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Although it started with 46 craftspeople, it now draws more than 200 applicants vying for 100 spots. About half the vendors are from outside of Columbia. People from both near (Charlotte, Asheville, Charleston, Savannah) and relatively far (Florida and Tennessee) will be selling their wares.
“The big thing at the beginning was I wanted the fair to be juried,” Schadel says, “because I didn’t really feel like there was a juried crafts fair in Columbia. I wanted to make sure that there were really high quality items for people to purchase. I wanted to give a voice to these emerging crafters that were doing really funky, weird stuff.” (Read more.)
"The Free Times 50, Power Issue 2012" June 13, 2012:
"The Nickelodeon Theatre Seeks to Revitalize Main Street" by Otis Taylor, Jr., The State, April 15, 2012:
"Looking Back at the Scene in 2011" by Otis Taylor, Jr., The State, December 30, 2011:
"Nature's Bounty" by Shani Gilchrist, Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, November 2011:
"Putting the Cool in Columbia" by Otis Taylor, Jr. in The State Newspaper, April 13, 2011:
"Painting the Town Red with The Shop Tart" by Otis Taylor, Jr. in The State Newspaper, April 24, 2011:
Flock and Rally on "Shop Tart Tuesday" segment at Dianne's on Devine for WACH-Fox TV, May 16, 2011:
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Tracie talking local food w/Anne Postic + Emile DeFelice on The Shop Tart Show, Dec. 22 2010:
Debi talking with Anne Postic and Dana Bruce on The Shop Tart Show, Dec. 8, 2010:
Debi and Tracie in live streaming interview with The Shop Tart on October 22, 2010
