In the age of big box standardization and the creepy convenience of same-day Amazon drone delivery, it’s especially important to make an effort to shop locally. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, many people overlook the great shops and manufacturers offering great things right here in Milwaukee. Fortunately, the holiday season is rife with events geared towards offering area artists and retailers a forum to sell to a sizable and interested local customer base. This Saturday, the Urban Garage Sale will return to Turner Hall Ballroom with an eclectic group of 65-plus vendors offering art, crafts, clothing, condiments, and a variety of other great gifts. On December 13, Hover Craft 2015 will host its 6th installment (and first at The Pritzlaff Building) on the same day Cream City Creatives will host a holiday show at Turner Hall.

To discuss their own events, the rapid development of Milwaukee’s “maker” culture, and the continued importance of buying local, host Tyler Maas welcomed Heavy Rotation owner/Urban Garage Sale founder Brian Holoubek, along with Whips singer Ashley Smith (Hover Craft, Maker Market, One Trick Pony) and Cortney Heimerl (Hover Craft, Maker Market, NEWaukee Night Market) to Milwaukee Record HQ for an extremely lighthearted chat and more than a few cans of Ale Asylum. Full disclosure: Milwaukee Record is a sponsor of both Hover Craft and Urban Garage Sale, but that doesn’t make the episode any less informative or enjoyable.

As always, this episode is brought to you by our friends at Ale Asylum, which was enjoyed on air. Music in this episode comes courtesy of Piles (“Blue Glue”) and Testa Rosa (“Castaway”). Subscribe to On The Record via iTunes or Stitcher (for free!)