She saved $24,000 to launch a craft festival in an old Joann store: 'This is my dream come true'

An old Joann fabric and craft store is getting new life, if only for a weekend: Hundreds of Southern Californians are expected to visit in search of new art, clothes, decor and an afternoon of communal crafting. That's the mission behind Lauren Tetef's Open House Creative Fest , which will run June 27 and 28 from the old Joann location at the Del Amo Fashion Center mall in Torrance, California. The event is part artisan market, part workshop series where guests can learn new skills directly from the makers behind what they're buying. "As an attendee, you get a little taste of what somebody does," says Tetef, 40, a long-time events producer. "You get to sit down and metaphorically break bread with them, have a conversation with them, get to know them. And by doing that, you're so much more invested in their business." A weekend of shopping and crafting Admission to the Open House Creative Fest event is free to walk around and shop from roughly 25 vendors, each of whom will also host their own crafting workshops. The creatively inclined can purchase an activity passport, starting at $40, which will give them access to do each booth's activity. For example, a participating florist plans to host sessions where she'll guide visitors on arranging dried flowers onto a greeting card for people to keep; another vendor who sells clothes plans to show people how to make a keychain by upcycling old selvage material. …