by Meredith M. Schoemann

Magpie, an offbeat craft store full of eclectic handmade crafts and vintage collectibles by more than 95 artists, recently moved from its former location on Huron Avenue in Cambridge to 378A Highland Ave.in Davis Square.

“Somerville sort of speaks to us,” said Leah Kramer, a co-owner of the store. “We particularly like carrying things from local artists, because they can stop by and see their work being sold locally.”

Magpie is co-owned and operated by five people, all of whom bring their own slightly different interests to the store, she said.

“Dave Sakowski is the antique fiend, he’s always going to flea markets and auctions to find things,” Kramer said.

Co-owner Dave McMahon, a graphic designer and illustrator, handles the business cards and designed the Web site. Co-owner Simone Alpen’s focus is knitting, sewing and embroidery, among other things. Besides being crafty, co-owner Emily Arkin is a musician as well as a Somerville Arts Council board member, she said.

Despite their differences, Kramer said they get along. “We all have similar sensibilities. It’s hard to describe what we’re looking for, but we know it when we see it.”

“Not a lot of stores have a focus on handmade things,” she said. “It’s difficult from a business perspective, but it’s our vision and we want to make it work.”

Kramer said most people who are looking to have their crafts sold at Magpie can tell right away when they walk in whether or not it is the place for them.

“You won’t find any potpourri stuffed teddy bears in here,” she said.

There is, however, find a set of refrigerator magnets that say things like: “New Haircut?” and “That’s Your Color, she said.

Magpie also carries robots made from bicycle parts by local artist Skunk, and a blender lamp. Not to mention Smurf soap, bowls made from melted records, and note cards made from vintage recipe cards, she said.

“People are trying to buy more handmade gifts that speak to them more than mass-produced gifts,” she said.

Kramer herself is the creator of Craftster.org, a Web site she began in August of 2003 which now has 29,000 members, she said.

“I had no idea it would grow so big,” she said. “It really shows how many people are turned on by handmade stuff.”

The site is a great forum for crafters to exchange ideas and advice, Kramer said. “One person will post pictures of something they’ve made, and ten other people will come up with variations on it.”

“It’s also a good way to find more crafters for the store,” she said.

Magpie’s Alpen and Arken were both involved in the founding of Bazaar Bizarre, a yearly craft festival extravaganza that was begun in 2001 in the Boston area, she said. The event has spread to Los Angeles and Cleveland.

On the event’s Web site, another one of the festival’s founders, Greg Der Ananian describes Bazaar Bizarre as an off-beat entertainment extravaganza which, for crafters, represents impulse to re-value the abilities our mothers and grandmothers taught us, while making them our own.

“Bazaar Bizarre was insane last year,” said Kramer. “It got lots of publicity and people were waiting around the block to get in.”

“It’s great that people who make crafts can be open about it,” she said. “It’s cool now.”