Crawford Bay Artisan Tour

Artisan Audio Tour on the East Shore

Explore the eclectic community of Crawford Bay and discover the best artisans in BC that call this place home. Enjoy our self-guided walking tour while you browse locally made handmade brooms and ceramics, to intricate metalwork and textiles. Let your tour guides, Ruth and Shelby, share what inspires these artisans, learn about local history, and discover some top East Shore travel tips. Who said shopping can't be both fun and informative? This audio tour is available in both English and French.

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 ENJOYED THE TOUR? 

Once you've finished the Crawford Bay Artisans Tour, enter your details below to be entered to win. Entries close at the end of September 2023. You could take home this awesome prize package, made by the artisans in the tour:

• Dogpatch Pottery handmade ceramic mug
• North Woven Broom artisan broom
• Barefoot Handweaving hand woven teatowel
• Gala Jewelry pendant made from a Kootenay Lake pebble
• Norse Arts carved wooden and stained glass ornaments
• FireWorks Copper Enamel pendant
• Kootenay Forge metal heart hook

Enter Artisans Giveaway

A Scenic Arts Scene in Crawford Bay

Nestled between the scenic Purcell mountains and next to the serene Kootenay Lake, you’ll find the small town of Crawford Bay. This quirky place is home to a rich tradition of art and crafts and an artistic spirit, as well as only 326 inhabitants! Explore the workshops and studios of Crawford Bay's artisans who are inspired by the majesty of their surroundings. These incredibly talented artists are hand-making unique products right here on the East Shore. As you walk through Crawford Bay you’ll be struck by how close the artisans are to each other. Hear the clink of bustling workshops, working side by side and collaboratively with each other.

Woodworking Wonders

Being surrounded by trees, it’s no wonder these artisans are inspired to make handcrafted corn brooms using traditional practices. Discover this quaint wood cabin where artisan makers are creating incredible brooms at North Woven Broom. Be greeted by towering “god poles” at Norse Arts, intricately carved with symbols and designs inspired by the owner’s heritage. 

Metalwork by Skilled Metal Artists

Explore the working Kootenay Forge, and see advanced blacksmithing techniques used to create wondrous pieces for both decorative and functional uses. At FireWorks Copper Enamel, see the lustrous results of enamelling glass onto copper, turned into various pieces of jewelry and wearable art. While at Gala Jewelry, you’ll find stones from Kootenay Lake elevated into pendants and more elaborate fine jewelry made with sustainably sourced metals.

Clay Creations & Ceramic Artistry

At Dog Patch Pottery, see incredible ceramics thrown right in the studio and put out on the shelves fresh from the kiln. You’ll also find a wide range of other local ceramicists featured in this cute dog-friendly shop.

Weaving Their Own Story

Explore a kaleidoscope of colours and how they come together into cloth at Barefoot Handweaving. With large working looms and sewing machines running daily, it’s a treat for the senses to see an artisan item made from start to finish.

Meet Your Tour Guides

Ruth and Shelby, lifelong best friends and neighbours living their dream in the Kootenays, will take you on this journey. Find them on Tiktok and Instagram at @tinyinthekootenays, whether it's playing with their pets, tiny house life or lounging around their clover lawn in their crocs.

An Immersive Journey with the Kootenay Lake Road Trip App's Tours

The Kootenay Lake Road Trip App is a new experience offering fun and informative self-guided audio tours around Kootenay Lake. There is also an interactive Mural Tour in Nelson, a meditative Kaslo River Trail and the epic Driving Tour, taking you all around Kootenay Lake. You can enjoy the tours at your own pace, in the privacy of your car, walking or even on your bike.

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Planning Your Perfect Road Trip to Crawford Bay and Beyond

We are here to help you plan your trip, offering information from where best to start your trip or the best things to do in Balfour, Kaslo, North Kootenay Lake and Nelson BC. Let us guide you on the top places to eat, stay and play on the East Shore and around Kootenay Lake.

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