Baltimore Farmers’ Market Hoopers

If you’re ever down at the Baltimore Farmer’s Market and are looking for hand-made hoops to purchase, you can find them by locating these two hoopers –

Jes Raschella
jesraschella at gmail.com

Jes sells hoops at the Baltimore Sunday Farmers’ Market (April-December)/under I-83/JFX bridge, and she has tons of them for sale any time of the year.

Year-round at the Saturday Baltimore Farmer’s Market, you’ll find –

Andreas “Spilly” Spiliadis
People’s Hoop Party
spilldawg at gmail.com

Spilly also does hoop performance with Fluid Movement, hoop dance on roller skates, with a performance coming up in early March.

Make your own hula hoop

This is interesting. A make-it-yourself hula hoop KIT! Yes, kit.

http://hoopsupplies.com/home

Local Hoop Map

Putting my money where my mouth is. I just created a Google map of local hoop activity. You can also get to this site by going to http://maps.google.com/ and searching on “Hula Hooping in DC” If all goes well, you should have a voila experience.

Where to buy hula hoops in Silver Spring, MD

In the Silver Spring, Md. / Montgomery County area

Miss Joule

Hula hoops for sale in Takoma Park

I found a place that sells hand-made, adult hula hoop locally. It’s Fair Day’s Play on main street (Carroll Avenue) in Takoma Park. Call them at 301-270-7999. Email. The store owner is Lisa.

Hula Hoop Introductory DVDs

I created a simple little blog recently. It compliments the many (and I mean many!) other online hula hoop resources I’ve created to help both new and experienced hoopers, alike. Now, I had to spend some time with my ethics-business-values voice in my head before doing this. Why? Well, because while I am happy to put together a free resource that will produce some affiliate sales commissions for me. But I’m not willing to sell and promote just anything because it’s a related product.

Without naming names, there is a particular hula hoop lessons DVD I bought myself when I was a new hooper. It sucks. And I’ve read other reviews saying as much. Also, about the only hoops for sale online are these horrible faux-hoops that are sold as exercise and weight loss tools, such as the famed “Heavy Hoop.” These products suck. People using them routinely get injured and, well, they just aren’t the Real McCoy of the Hula Hoop World.

So, I made my little “Hula Hoop DVDs for Sale” blog and the pickings there are slim. But the products are good products, and I’m comfortable promoting them. I do believe that in this Wild, Wild West of the internet and affiliate sales, that the success of the business model and the success of the blogger will come from genuine recommendations rather than the let-me-see-how-much-I-can-get types.

If, by chance, you’re looking to get a sweet and simple Christmas present for a hula hooping wannabe or novice, check out my micro blog and product suggestions.

Baltimore Hoop Makers

If Baltimore is your stompin’ ground and you’re looking to buy a hoop, you’re in luck. Three great hoopers who make beautiful, hand-made hoops in kid and adult sizes can help you get the hoop of your dreams. Click on their names here to contact them.

• Noelle of Hooping Powers
• Joanna
• Michele Clark of Charm City Hoopers

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If anyone knows of any other Baltimore-based hoop makers, let me know and I’ll post them here. Thanks.

Hoops for Little Kids

If you’re just looking for kids hoops that are cheap to buy, such hoops can be found in the summer in the kids sports sections at KMart and Wal-mart for about $4. Party City carried the same hoops, though they were about $6 each there. The hoops at KMart etc. are great for kids about six years of age or younger. They are reasonable … hardly worthy of a tug-of-war, of course, but sturdier than the hoops you probably remember from your childhood.Last year Target was carrying a slightly larger, gently water-weighted hoop for about $7.

Mooo-la Hoops for Sale in Columbia, Md.

For adults and teens

Trust me on this one: don’t even bother buying a mass-manufactured hoop at a store. If you looking to buy a high-quality, beautifully decorated, adult-sized heavy hoop in Columbia, Maryland, the place to go is the Blue Cow Cafe. These hoops must be seen and used to understand what kind of quality we’re talking about here. Typical pricing is between $35 and $50, depending on the intricacies of the tape pattern.

These Mooo-la Hoops, as they are called, are available at any time in the store.

Buying Hoops Online

On the internet, explore your options at Hoop Girl, Superhooper and Hoopnotica.