Vendors debate impact of economy on local craft fairs

By Pete Wicklund
Journal Times

Sunday, November 23, 2008 9:53 PM CST

RACINE — The success, or lack thereof, this holiday season of area craft merchants will likely not replace the gross domestic product any time soon as a prime indicator of the state of the national economy.

A random sampling of vendors at two local craft shows on Saturday provided a variety of opinions on how the economy is affecting their sales. In fact, the vendors implied there are a lot of factors that impact sales at craft shows, from the show’s reputation and how much advertising was done for it, to the types of goods the vendors sell.

The two shows sampled were a large, long-running annual event at Horlick High School (a fundraiser for the student government) and a much smaller show put on by members of the SEIU Local 152 at their union hall on Washington Avenue. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people attended the Horlick event, said Victor Moreno, a Horlick teacher and one of the student government advisers. By contrast, about 100 people attended the event at Local 152, said Judi Gatzke, the secretary/treasurer of the union which represents clerical and building maintenance personnel at Racine Unified schools.

Linda Terry, a Kenosha County resident who sells candles and other scented accessories, and Barb Maller, a Caledonia resident who sells hand-painted glassware, said they were very pleased with their tallies at Horlick’s event.

“I did very well today. It hasn’t been bad this year at all,” said Terry. “I think people just want to buy American-made. When you get to a craft fair, you know that the people who are there are making the products.”

Maller said that fellow crafters were predicting a lackluster day when she arrived at Horlick, but she, too, said she had a good day.

For Maller (and other vendors as well), it’s not only how much she sells, but how many contacts she can make for orders later on.

“They take my card and I’ll get a call for special orders,” Maller said. “This is a fairly new business for me, so that’s my goal to get my name out there and get people knowing the product, and then they can visit my Web site.”

The day at Horlick was not as grand for Racine resident Deborah Yocco, whose merchandise included children’s clothing.

“Our sales are way down,” Yocco said. “Last year we did three times this. “People are doing a lot of looking, but they’re not buying.”

Leslie Price-Robison, a bead jeweler from Waukegan, Ill., agreed about the window

shopping.

“I think they’re being selective,” she said. “They’re really making sure that what they’re getting is worth it.”

A craft show’s reputation and organization is also key to its success, Price-Robison said, adding she had nothing but praise for how well the Horlick show is organized and how hard Moreno’s students work to make sure things run smoothly. That was not the case at a high school craft fair in Elk Grove Village, Ill., a few weeks ago, she said.

Across town at Local 152, Sande Prudhomme and Melissa Kirkeby, both of Sturtevant, were bemoaning the economy’s effect on their craft businesses. Prudhomme, who sells a variety of goods from stationery items to scarves, was not only disappointed with a lack of sales at Local 152’s show, but also at a recent one in Waukesha. She said her business in Sturtevant, Dragonflies and Dreams, is also slow due to the economy.

Kirkeby, who sells candles and jewelry, said she was forced to take a part-time job this year to make up for slow sales in her home-based craft business.

Yocco said she was looking to see if President-elect Barack Obama’s economic plan would help instill buyer confidence next year. But Keith Moten, a folk art vendor from Racine, said he thinks consumers are already showing confidence as a result of Obama’s election. Moten, who was at the Horlick show, said he and his wife, Kelly, are doing double the business they did last year. Unlike some vendors who do a show a couple of times a year, the Motens are out nearly every weekend at some venue or another.

While the Horlick event is a once-a-year event, Local 152’s crafters will get another chance to market their wares from 9 to 4 Friday and Saturday at the Local 152 meeting hall, 3027 Washington Ave.

Special Offer: Get 5 Weeks of the Journal Times for $7!