Write it, and Spark Will Come

Crafting boutique bestows entire business via essay contest

By JAMIE GRANOFF

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Hey there, big spender ... not having luck with those Keno picks or your foosball wagers? Well, if you play your cards right, now's your chance to win an entire store!

(Perhaps it won't make you rich immediately, but rest easy knowing you'll lord over more damn yarn than the eye can see.)

The owners of Porter Square's Spark Craft Studios, an independent crafting boutique-cum-instruction studio, are selling their spot after running it for four years. They're ready to pass the torch to anyone enthusiastic and willing. However, rather than closing their doors forever or selling the business privately, founders Jan Stephenson Kelly and Amy Appleyard are holding an essay contest.

We repeat: essay contest, whereby the grand prize winner receives the contents of the business, which includes the Spark Craft Studios website, store fixtures and furnishings, point-of-sale system, exterior signage and remaining inventory by awards time—basically, "the bones of a retail operation," says Kelly.

Both founders have enjoyed seeing the growth of the store since 2005 and the positive response it has fostered. Despite their studio's success, "We are ready to pass it on to people who will love it like we did," declares Kelly, explaining both she and Appleyard have moved outside the city to concentrate more on their families.

The pair decided to hold an essay contest to keep alive the community they built and to give as many people as possible a chance to become a part of it. Since Spark's opening, "people were just really jazzed about seeing a concept store like this," says Kelly. And if your love runs the gamut from knitting to sewing, from glitter to beads, Spark Craft Studios would certainly be a mecca.

Contestants must submit their essays detailing why they want to own Spark Craft Studios and why they are the best person(s) to win the contest. The business will need 500 entries in order to make the transfer feasible.

Listen—if you're going to gamble on an investment, might as well support a local business that's helped struggling artists (and creative writers, evidently) hone their craft.

[Contest entries due Wed 11.26.08. Winner notified by Wed 12.3.08. Spark Craft Studios, 1963 Mass. Ave., Porter Sq., Cambridge. 617.441.5200. $300 entry fee. sparkcrafts.com]