EcoDunia at Chicago's Square Roots Festival: Jewelry & Bags

Square Roots Festival is one of Chicago's favorite neighborhood traditions, a weekend where Lincoln Square fills with live music, local food, small businesses, and neighbors catching up on the sidewalk. It's the kind of event that reminds you why community markets matter in the first place.

We (EcoDunia) were honored to be part of it this year. Setting up our booth gave us the chance to connect with shoppers who care about handmade products and small-business support, and to meet people discovering EcoDunia for the first time.

More than anything, it gave visitors a chance to see, touch, and ask about the craftsmanship behind every piece, something a product photo online can never quite capture.

What Makes Square Roots Festival Special?

Square Roots takes over Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Square every July, and it's easy to see why it's become a neighborhood favorite. Live music plays across multiple stages all weekend, drawing crowds who wander from one set to the next. Local restaurants and food vendors line the street, along with local craft beer, and independent artists and makers fill the market with handmade goods you won't find anywhere else. Add in a family-friendly Kid Zone and a genuinely warm, welcoming atmosphere, and you get a festival built around one simple idea: supporting the people and small businesses that make a neighborhood feel like home.

That's exactly why events like this matter so much to a business like ours. Square Roots isn't just a place to sell products; it's a place to be part of the community we're proud to call home.

Bringing Handmade Craftsmanship to the Chicago Community

We set up in a 10×10 end-cap booth for the weekend, which turned out to be the perfect spot for foot traffic and easy conversation. Shoppers stopped by throughout the day to browse, ask questions, and hear the stories behind our pieces, from how a brass ring is shaped by hand to how a bag makes its way from our Nairobi workshop to Chicago.

There's something different about watching someone pick up a piece, turn it over, and really look at it, rather than scrolling past a photo. We spent the weekend doing exactly that: sharing the craftsmanship behind our collections and watching people connect with pieces in person, often for the very first time.

Handmade Brass Jewelry That Stood Out

Our unique jewelry table drew a steady crowd all weekend, with rings, earrings, bracelets, and chokers catching the eye of festival-goers as they walked by. Each piece is crafted from 100% recycled brass and finished with a nano-ceramic e-coat, which makes it tarnish-resistant and water-resistant, so it's built for real, everyday wear rather than sitting in a jewelry box.

Visitors were quick to try pieces on, and the reaction was almost always the same: surprise at how lightweight solid recycled brass can feel, and appreciation for details you can only notice up close: the texture of a hammered cuff, the weight of a ring, the way a piece catches the light. For a lot of people, trying something on was what turned curiosity into a genuine connection to the craftsmanship behind it.

Festival Bags Made for Everyday Adventures

Alongside the jewelry, we brought a lineup of bags built for exactly the kind of day festival-goers were having: crossbody bags, sling bags, belt bags, and small travel bags, all handmade and designed to keep your hands free while you move through a crowd.

It's easy to see why hands-free bags were such a hit with the festival crowd. They're just as suited to a day of walking a festival as they are to exploring the rest of Chicago, a weekend trip, a daily commute, or travel further from home. Underneath that everyday functionality is the same handmade craftsmanship as our jewelry, each bag made by hand in our Nairobi workshop, built to hold up to real, daily use.

More Than Shopping, Creating Connections

If there's one thing that made this weekend special, it's the conversations. We met first-time customers discovering Ecodunia, alongside longtime supporters who stopped by to say hello and see what was new. People asked thoughtful questions about how our pieces are made, families browsed the tables together, and more than a few visitors shared how much they appreciated finding genuinely handmade work in the middle of a festival.

Those are the moments online shopping can't quite replicate. A market booth gives people the space to ask questions, hear the story behind a piece, and decide to bring something home because it actually means something to them, not just because it showed up in a feed.

Thank You to Everyone Who Visited Our Booth

To everyone who stopped to browse, tried on a ring or a pair of earrings, picked up a bag as a gift, or simply shared a kind word about our work, thank you. Small businesses like ours are built by moments like these, and this weekend was full of them.

We loved meeting so many of you in person, and we're already looking forward to seeing familiar faces again at future events.

Find Ecodunia at Upcoming Chicago Markets

Square Roots was just one stop on our calendar. We'll be at more Chicago markets throughout the year, including several holiday markets later this season, so there will be plenty of chances to shop with us in person.

For the most current schedule of dates and locations, visit our Shop Ecodunia In Person page; we keep it updated as new markets are added. And if you can't make it to a market near you, our full collection of handmade brass jewelry and artisan bags is always just a click away online.

Read More: What Makes a Bag Fair Trade? A Shopper’s Guide to Ethical Accessories

Conclusion

Being part of Square Roots Festival reminded us why local markets matter. They bring together neighbors, artists, makers, musicians, and small businesses, and they give people the chance to shop with intention and learn the stories behind what they choose to bring home.

We can't wait to see you at our next Chicago market. In the meantime, browse our handmade jewelry and artisan bags online any time, and thank you, Chicago, for continuing to show up for small businesses like ours.