ABOUT JACKALOPE
MEET THE FOUNDERS
Melissa Kohout and Sara Diederich met through their time spent working with an international arts organization, creating regular art centered events in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
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With a shared passion to create a "community meets artisan event" focused on the experience of meeting the maker and bringing the local community together, they joined together to launch the Jackalope: Indie Artisan Fair in their home cities of Pasadena, California and Denver, Colorado.
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Since 2015 Jackalope has been hosting semi-annual events in Pasadena and Denver, adding Burbank in 2019, Minneapolis in 2021, and San Diego and Santa Barbara in 2025.
MELISSA KOHOUT: Co-Founder
Melissa was born and raised in the Denver metro area. She got her start by working in event sales at a venue in Colorado and then moved into event rentals. She was the rental coordinator for corporate, weddings, and special events; specializing in festivals.
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She also holds a degree in Interior Design and although she dabbles in the arts, she enjoys planning the events more (and shopping at them)! Melissa’s favorite part of Jackalope is being able to provide an outlet for the handmade community to feature and sell their goods. She now resides in Minneapolis, MN and is loving lake life with her daughter.
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Fun fact: Melissa and her husband Brian, were featured on an episode of House Hunters called “Minnesota Dreaming” when they moved to Minnesota.
SARA DIEDERICH: Co-Founder
A California Native, Sara stumbled into the arts scene through the Los Angeles music community. She spent years managing local bands in and around the Los Angeles area and booking national tours for up and coming acts, under her company, Nine 12 Records. She has coordinated art, music, and fashion events in and around the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas for years and has collaborated with many artists in the local LA art scene.
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Sara also has a background in PR; working on projects with the Palm Spring Fine Arts Fair, Vineyard Touring Opera Company, and Make Music Pasadena. Sara's favorite part of Jackalope is infusing communities with quality handmade products made locally.
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Fun fact: Sara loves sushi, fantasy books, and traveling.
GLORIA BAGHDASSARIAN
Born and raised in Altadena, Gloria started working with Jackalope as an intern in high school — diving behind the scenes and learning the ins and outs of event production. She went on to study Psychology and Philosophy, where her love for understanding people and the stories behind what they do grew — a curiosity and drive that led her back to Jackalope after venturing into digital media marketing and counseling.
Now, she gets to connect with artisans and share their journeys with the community.
Her favorite part of Jackalope is watching the artisans’ little happy dance after each sale and getting to play a small role in amplifying their passions.
CONTACT US:
General Info:
info@jackalopeartfair.com
323-989-2278
Artisan Inquiries:
vendors@jackalopeartfair.com
323-989-2278
