On of the things that I love about posting on the Buffalo Rising gift guide over the holiday season is meeting different people along the way. This morning a BRO reader suggested that I feature the work of artisan Emily Sajban on the site, who is the owner of Bon Fire Craft. Once I learned the back story of Emily, I decided that there was much more of an all around Buffalo story to the tale. So instead of promoting one of her pieces in the Gift Guide, here’s a fun story on how Emily got to Buffalo, and where she is going.
Emily and her husband Kyle, a tattoo artist, were living in Rockland County outside of NYC until recently. A couple of years ago a friend of theirs bought some properties in Buffalo, and began to talk about the benefits of living here. Then a couple of other friends moved here.
By the time that Emily and Kyle decided that they too wanted to move to Buffalo, their friend (who first ventured to this city) was a real estate agent. “He ended up selling us our house in North Buffalo,” Emily told me. “Instead of leasing a tiny space in Rockland, we bought a multi-bedroom house with a full basement, which is where my studio is now. Since we have moved here, we have been telling all of our friends in NYC to pack their bags and come here. And more of them are doing it. Last weekend we had friends visit from Brooklyn who couldn’t believe what we had purchased, and where… a house in the city, in a neighborhood within walking distance to stores and restaurants. We’re paying a lot less than leasing our former tiny unit… a lot less, and we’re happy. Kyle got a job at Hand of Doom (HOD) on Elmwood, and I’m working on my trade. Eventually I would like have my own storefront (she formerly operated a shop with a partner for six years), but for now we have a kid on the way, so that’s going to have to wait.”
At this point, Emily is working out of her studio and selling her jewelry on etsy.com (see here). She’s also starting to learn her way around and is hoping to get her jewelry into a couple of local boutiques. In the meantime she is doing some local trade fairs, including pop-up shops. In fact, this coming Saturday she will be showing her line of work at HOD (noon to 8pm – 734 Elmwood Avenue), so be sure to stop by and check it out.
“Doing fairs in Buffalo is a lot better than doing them in NYC,” she said. “In New York, everyone needs to save their money to pay their rent. I have found that in cities like Buffalo people actually purchase my work, and they tend to appreciate my work a lot more. For me, it’s a way better market here. In New York people have access to so much, that they don’t really appreciate what they have, or it’s overwhelming. If they can even afford to make these types of purchases.”
As for Emily’s jewelry, it’s both masculine and feminine. Every piece is handcrafted, tooled, cut, carved… making each piece one of a kind. Her influences vary, as do the metals that she works with. Each work is part of limited edition of 50 or fewer, and much of her jewelry is commissioned, therefore unique. Already I’m a big fan of her styles, and have a feeling that she’s going to have an easy time making a name for herself around Buffalo. I can’t wait to see where she takes all of this, once she truly settles down and begins to figure her way around this city’s art scene.
Bon Fire Craft website | Etsy | Facebook