Handmade Arcade is the spark that ignited Pittsburgh’s robust maker community. Predating all other local craft-focused markets, including national markets like Etsy, Handmade Arcade has been a leader in Pittsburgh’s maker movement long before the term “maker movement” existed—with early credits such as features in MAKE Magazine and hosting the country’s first-ever Craft Congress in 2007. Today, the organization operates as a nonprofit and continues to make significant, year-long contributions that directly impact Pittsburgh’s craft, maker, and arts community’s quality of life and economic success.