Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair

* Jan Bajgier of JansJems and the Western Massachusetts Street Team went to the fair this weekend:

This year’s Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair provided a number of surprises. Living in So. Deerfield I have the opportunity to attend often. So I recognize many of the vendors who are often in the same spots each year. But this year brought a number of new artisans with very impressive items. Right off the bus (they run shuttle buses from 2 parking lots in South Deerfield) we walked into the white church and found Susan Fine. Her shop is “Forbidden Fruit” and she makes the most incredible belt buckles I’ve ever seen. They’re made from clustered and arranged gemstone beads and chips—everything from turquoise to topaz. Next to her was “Idle Time Crafts” doing a booming business selling handcrafted wooden items—very American Country style pictures, shelves and plaques. I really wish I had more wall space in my kitchen because I fell in love with a great rooster painting. Outside on the street we stopped in at a booth of ceramic scarf slides and scarves. The gentleman there was such a salesman, engaging you as soon as you stop. The booth was filled with women trying on scarves in front of the mirror and matching them to slides in every color on the Sherwin Williams paint chart. Farther up the street was Sha-Sha Beads. Penny Despos is a favorite of ours. She wire wraps natural stones in unique ways attaching coordinating colored gems and crystals. She really needs a website. Both my daughters & I have several of her pendants and today I bought another one.

This summer’s fair had more people demonstrating their crafts than I’m used to seeing. They had a blacksmith in one area, a potter working his wheel, and a couple of jewelers doing some beading. Yankee Candle is a sponsor of the Deerfield Fairs and they had a candle dipping station set up that was perpetually busy. I saw a new food vendor, a woman from Florida with dried ingredients for corn chowder and shrimp scampi. We almost didn’t need lunch with all the sampling we did at the dip and jelly booths.

The most important bit of news, however, is that people were BUYING. Everywhere you looked people were carrying multiple bags and getting back on the bus was a major production. This is important because Deerfield runs 4 craft fairs a year; 1 every season. Two are indoors and 2 are outdoors and the cost to get in runs from $275 to over $600. So you really need to sell. But traffic at the summer fair runs from 9000 to 11000 people for the weekend even with a gate fee of $6. Any crafters interested , more info.

Sadly, Bethany and I didn’t see any Etsy people, at least no one advertising that they were with Etsy. We’re hoping to change that next year. The girls & I are planning to apply for the 2008 Christmas Sampler that Deerfield does at the Big E in Springfield. Wish us luck!