Los Angeles, California May 3, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - Nellitas Craft, a new craft store and makerspace, opens on May 11 in Little Tokyo. Located at 248 East 1St Street, Nellitas Craft is a community-centered space that features craft supplies, art-making kits, creative classes, and professional crafting machines available for rent to makers interested in everything from embroidery to mending to cutting paper crafts. A grand opening event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18 from 12-7 PM. The event is open to all and will feature free demos of the various machines in the maker space, membership specials, light refreshments, plus a chance to win fun raffle prizes.

Folks will get a chance to experience what our store is all about at the grand opening, says owner Rosalyn Kawahira. Most of our offerings are geared toward beginners, dabblers, and those looking to try new things, so we welcome people to come and explore their interests here in a supportive environment. We have a free Work-in-Progress (WIP) Wednesday event where crafters can bring their unfinished projects to work on together and get help and inspiration from each other. Our makerspace is not only for hobbyists but is also meant to be a resource for creators who have cool artistic side hustles but arent ready to invest in all the expensive equipment yet. 

All customers who visit the store during the grand opening week from May 11-18 will receive a 10% coupon for future purchases.

Kawahira, a Japanese American who lives in the neighborhood and grew up in the community, wishes to preserve the spirit and integrity of Little Tokyo. She says: Nellitas Craft is named after my mother who is Japanese Okinawan but she was born and raised in Peru. My father is from southern Japan. I grew up in a multi-cultural home in this multi-cultural city and this shop is a love letter to my community. We are committed to supporting independent artists by showcasing their work at the store and inviting them as teachers for our classes. Many of our craft kits are imported from Japan, others are just for fun, and the rest will highlight the creativity of Angelenos.

Several classes are available to book (with more currently being scheduled), including a finger-knitting class on May 30, a polymer clay class on June 27, and a cross-stitch class later in July. To sign up or learn more about the store, visit www.nellitascraft.com and follow Nellitas Craft on social at @nellitascraft.

ABOUT US:

Nellitas Craft is a Japanese American-owned craft shop and makerspace located in the heart of L.A.s Little Tokyo. Geared toward beginners, dabblers, and folks looking to try new things, Nellitas Craft features craft supplies, art-making kits, creative classes, imported Japanese arts and crafts products, and professional crafting machines available for rent to makers interested in everything from embroidery to screen-printing to paper crafts. To learn more, visit www.nellitascraft.com and follow Nellitas Craft on social at @nellitascraft.