More than 20 vendors sold various handmade goods at Culture Lab LIC’s Queens Makers Market.
Photo by Alice Moreno
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Artists ranging from local to the Tri-State area came together for an afternoon of creativity at the Queens Makers Market on Saturday, June 6. Held at the Culture Lab in Long Island City from 3 to 8 p.m., the market was filled with over 20 vendors selling a wide variety of handmade goods ranging from artwork, ceramics, crochet items and more.
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
According to their Eventbrite page, “Flanked by Culture Lab’s incredible gallery and near the riverside waterfront, it’s a lively event celebrating community and the arts.”
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
Photo by Alice Moreno
The market also featured a short lineup of performances. It featured Yellow Birch Road at 4:30 p.m., Emily Jeanne Brown at 6 and Joy & The Wildfire at 8.
Yellow Birch Road performing at the Queens Makers Market. Photo by Alice Moreno
One of the artists featured was Vanessa Juarez of Ooni Crafts. She sold a variety of cutesy items such as stickers, keychains and trinkets – all handmade at her home studio in Queens. It began out of pure boredom as a teenager, and has evolved into a proper business.
Vanessa Juarez of Ooni Crafts. Photo by Alice Moreno
Juarez is an artist who draws, sews and creates all her products. Her handmade goods scream “kawaii,” focusing on specific fandoms, anime and mangas and cute Japanese characters.
“I think that is what I really want to do,” said Juarez. “I just want to spread cuteness to everybody.”
Another vendor featured was Helen So of Miiasoey. She is a Hong Kong-born artist now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her artwork – which ranges from stickers, keychains, magnets, prints and postcards – is inspired by her childhood in China, filled with things she grew up loving. Her work combines both her Cantonese culture with the New York Culture, bridging two worlds together.
Helen So of Miiasoey with her products. Photo by Alice Moreno
“I’ve been drawing all my life and I was an artist before I moved to the U.S.,” So said. “And I feel like ever since I moved here, I saw a lot more opportunities, markets, and more people are willing to support local artists.”
Next to So was Aleksey Nisenboym. An illustrator based in Bushwick, he sold handmade coasters made with linocut (a type of artwork that is carved into a sheet of linoleum) prints of a tomato, bell peppers and strawberries; Risograph (a stencil used to photocopy) prints featuring quirky characters; and handmade stickers.
Aleksey Nisenboym at his vendor station. Photo by Alice Moreno
Nisenboym also sold a self-published comic titled “Cook13.” It was longlisted for the 2026 World Illustration Awards in the children’s publishing category.
“I had a retail job working full-time a couple of years ago,” said Nisenboym when asked how he got his start in creating art. “And then I saved up enough money to sort of try to launch a business on my own. I’m still figuring things out. [I’m] pretty new, I’ve been doing this maybe three years, I want to say.”