by Beth LaMontagne Hall
It was about seven years ago when Portsmouth jewelry maker Megan Stelzer and Dover artist Jocelyn Toffic came up with the idea of creating a holiday season craft fair that featured cool and unusual items. “How hard can it be?” thought Stelzer. She took the idea and ran with it, lining up Buoy Gallery in Kittery, Maine, as a host venue, finding crafty people to apply, and getting the word out through Facebook and good old-fashioned word of mouth.
Stelzer’s event, Craft Fix, taking place this year on Sunday, Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is among a number of craft fairs and open studio events in the Seacoast that set out to showcase local artisans, unique handcrafted goods, and fine art to a wider audience.
For those who view the art of crafting goods as a career, or at least as a serious side business, craft fairs can be quality networking events. Beyond selling her wares, Stelzer enjoys meeting other artists, getting inspired by their great ideas, and trading with other craftspeople. The feedback she gets from her customers is also a major benefit.
Stand-up paddle boards created by Tidal Roots on display during an open studio event at the Salmon Falls Mills in Rollinsford on the weekend of Nov. 21 and 22.
“I think the most valuable thing I get from doing craft fairs is practice in humility,” said Stelzer. “Not everyone likes my work or me or whatever, and some of them actually verbalize it.”
“It’s also a great way to introduce yourself and your work to the people that come through the fair,” said Kittery artist Amy Larkin, who organized this year’s Craft Fix. She has been a regular vendor at the event since its inception, selling crocheted hats, drawings, and other items she has rotated over the years. “I think people really enjoy meeting people that actually make the goods they’re purchasing, and vice-versa. I’ve received commissions for several projects and it’s led to work in my day job as an illustrator.”
Yet craft fairs aren’t for everyone, and artists aren’t guaranteed to bring in money overnight. A number of artists, including Craig Shippee, a woodworker from Laconia who recently showed at the Dover Parents Music Club Fall Craft Fair, said it took a year before the events were worthwhile. At his first craft fair last year in Peru, Vermont, he just broke even.
Photographs from Michael Penney’s “Behind the Beer” series line a hallway in the Upper Mill at Salmon Falls.
“At the end of the day, we did OK. I did enough to keep me in the hobby and buy materials and it wasn’t a bad experience,” said Shippee. “We did the Peru show this year, and we made all (the money) that we did last year and then some.” The same thing happened in Dover. “My biggest problem now is keeping supply up,” he said.
Amanda Roseberry, the founder of Nomad Leatherwork, said that craft fair shoppers are usually looking to buy small gift items, but also browse bigger ticket items. Roseberry makes wallets and other items that sell for between $25 and $100 at events like Art on the Hill Open Studios, where she has a workshop; Craft Fix; Button Factory Open Studios; and at the pop-up gift store she runs with local furniture maker George Beland in Portsmouth. She makes sure to also bring a few of her larger pieces to show off to customers looking for a leather satchel or purse. People will often contact her later, sometimes even years later. “You build your client base through doing these over the years,” she said.
Roseberry and other artists said they believe the increasing success and growth of artisan fairs in the area is due in part to the hunger for quality, locally made goods. “I’ve noticed the community wants to support people doing things,” said Roseberry.
This desire for these goods isn’t limited to the artists’ open studios and quirky craft fairs. When it comes to handmade and local, everything old is new again for those who make goods for traditional fundraiser craft fairs. When the First Congregational Church of Kittery Point UCC Women’s Fellowship hosts their Christmas Fair on Friday, Dec. 4, shoppers will find some items similar to those sold at winter farmers markets in the region, like pickled vegetables made from locally grown produce, handmade chocolates, and work from local artists as part of their silent auction.
One of the volunteers, Sara Rhoades, said a lot has changed since the church’s first fair in 1916. Aprons are no longer a hot item, but canned goods, baked goods, and hand-knit and sewn items crafted by members have given the event a reputation for quality, all of which raises money for local charities like Fuel and More.
It’s this range of items, from the large oil painting at an open studio to a hand-carved ornament at a local church fair, that makes the craft fair season so vibrant in the Seacoast, said Larkin.
“We’re lucky to live in a community that’s full of creative people making very cool things and those that support and appreciate them,” said Larkin. “The more we all invest in these events, the better they’ll become.”
All’s fair: A guide to Seacoast holiday craft fairs and open studios
’Tis the season for shopping locally, and the next few weeks present plenty of chances to hit up craft fairs and open studio events. Treat yourself (or someone else) to a special gift this holiday season.
Sat., Nov. 28
Designing Women Fine Art and Crafts Annual Holiday Showcase: Frank Jones Center, 400 Roue 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Linked Together’s Annual Craft Fair: Newmarket Elementary School, 243 South Main St., Newmarket, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sat. – Sun., Nov. 28-29
Art on the Hill Open Studios: 78 Government St., Kittery, Maine,10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 29
Craft Fix: Buoy Gallery, 2 Government St., Kittery, Maine, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thurs. – Sat., Dec. 3-5
Evergreen Fair: Memorial Union Building, UNH, 83 Main St., Durham, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Thurs.-Fri.), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sat.-Sun.)
Fri., Dec. 4
First Congregational Church of Kittery Point UCC Craft Fair: Kittery Point UCC Parish House, 23 Pepperrell Road, Kittery, Maine, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 5
New Castle Village Christmas Fair: New Castle Recreation Building, 301 Wentworth Road, New Castle, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.