Hello & Welcome — I’m Tonya Tate

I’m the founder of Craft × Community × Soul, but this is not my first time creating a space for makers.

In 2010, I had the idea to bring together local artists, designers, and makers who were selling their work on Etsy. With the help of a wonderful team—including Mary O’Kelly of Marokel Jewelry—the Memphis Etsy Team was born. We organized meetups, shared resources and business advice, and created opportunities for local creatives to learn, connect, and sell their work together.

Our first public event was a Christmas market on South Main in December 2010. Over the years, our community produced short-term markets and month-long retail pop-ups in South Main, Overton Square, Harbor Town, and Saddle Creek. The organization evolved through several names, including Indie Style Market, Modern Handmade Memphis, Modern Made Memphis, and GIFT.

One of our biggest leaps of faith came in 2012, when the City of Memphis invited our team to create a month-long pop-up shop in Overton Square. We had experience producing craft markets, but operating a temporary retail store was something entirely new. By the grace of God—and with a lot of teamwork—we figured it out. That first Overton Square pop-up generated more than $65,000 in sales for participating makers over three weekends.

See photos of our popups here

Those experiences showed me what can happen when creative people have a place to gather, share ideas, encourage one another, and bring their work into the world.

A New Chapter

Craft × Community × Soul began with another step of faith.

The Lord made it clear that it was time for me to go home and help care for my aging mother. As I began thinking through what that move would mean, one very practical question kept coming to mind:

Where am I going to put all of my creative stuff?

There would not be room for my fabric, supplies, tools, and ongoing projects in my mother’s home. Then, in a still, small voice, the answer came:

Open a studio.

At first, I was simply trying to solve my own problem. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could not be the only creative person who needed more space.

Some people have homes filled with family, work, and everyday life, with no room left for a dedicated studio. Others live in apartments or townhomes where space and storage are limited. Creative entrepreneurs may have supplies, inventory, and equipment slowly taking over their homes. And even people with plenty of room can miss the energy, inspiration, and accountability that come from creating alongside other people.

That realization became the foundation for Craft × Community × Soul: a proposed membership-based creative studio in Collierville where hobbyists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs can work on projects, store supplies, learn, connect, and feel at home in a creative community.

What I Love to Make

My own creative interests tend to move between the tactile and the visual.

I taught myself to sew as a teen and sewing has been part of my life for a long time. For the last few years I’ve been formulating butters and balms and perfume oils. I’ve been a graphic designer since working at Kinko’s in my twenties so I’ve never met a computer I didn’t like. Like many creative people, I rarely stay in just one lane which is why I have so much creative stuff. I enjoy the process of conceptualizing something although honestly it may take a while for me to actually make it. #SadButTrue

In many ways, I am not only creating Craft × Community × Soul for other people. I am creating the kind of place I want for myself. The kind of space that I feel good just being there. The ability to make something is an extra bonus.

Building It With the Community

Craft × Community × Soul is still in development. Before committing to a physical location, I need to know that there is enough local interest to make the studio sustainable.

That is where you come in.

Joining the interest list does not require a commitment or payment. It simply helps me understand who would use the studio, what kinds of creative work they do, and what resources would be most valuable to them.

This idea may have begun with a personal need, but my hope is that it will become something much larger: a welcoming, lasting home for creativity in Collierville.

A place to make.

A place to connect.

A place to belong.