Find your inner artist
Remember how good it feels to color, draw, or play with art supplies? No expectations, only freedom and fun. At Handmade Studio in Three Oaks, you have the encouragement and community to tap into that spark.
Carin Weston and Ben Sass—married photographers with wide-ranging backgrounds in art and design—longed for a space to meet up, make things, and teach others how to use art-making tools. In February of 2025, they built it themselves.
Tucked into a corner of the Commune + Market building (where you can also grab house roasts from Alan Ray’s coffee shop), Handmade Studio is a welcoming collection of workshop tables. Some are stocked with colorful pottery, prints, candles, poetry books, and goods for sale by Carin and Ben’s favorite artists. Others are filled with colored pencils, printing supplies, collage materials, and more ways to experiment.
Every week, Handmade Studio offers DIY workshops on everything from printmaking to jewelry making to paper marbling. They also have an open-door policy for brainstorming and refining personal projects. “We love helping someone realize the vision in their head,” Ben says.
Every other Sunday morning, the studio hosts coffee meet-ups. They clear off a table, hang out, work in whatever medium strikes their fancy, and talk. Everyone is welcome. The idea, as always, is to inspire people to just start making.
“Children have the spirit to not be ashamed of their art, no matter what it looks like,” Carin says. “We want adults to find that spirit, too.”
Local Tip: Carin is an expert in archival photo printing. Dust off a box of negatives or slides, and she’ll bring the memories back to life with stunning keepsake prints.
words Lena Singer
images Alexander Kramer
February 2026
VISIT HANDMADE STUDIO
105 N Elm Street
Three Oaks, Michigan
219.243.0984
