Signs are everywhere that craft fair season is upon Powell River; at least one is taking place every weekend. Between October and December, nearly 20 different fairs bring crafters together to ply their wares to holiday shoppers looking for homemade gifts.
Craft fairs are the grassroots of buying local and have been a big part of Cathy McLean’s life for 40 years. McLean is a baker and organizes two of Powell River’s larger events, Powell River’s Own Craft Fair and the upcoming Magic of Christmas.
“The 'handmade' aspect is huge,” said McLean. “People want to know who made the item, where it came from and even have the opportunity to chat with the crafter. Customers are looking for quality and I believe they find it in Powell River.”
The fairs are a way to meet the community and find new friends and people with common interests among crafters, according to Velma Richmond, who tapped into the scene while living in Nova Scotia more than 20 years ago.
Richmond has been a children's toymaker and candlemaker, but now specializes in candy, chocolate and teas. She also runs her own business and organized the recent Raincoast Craft Fair at Dwight Hall.
“We're so connected,” said Richmond. “The crafters will purchase ingredients and supplies from each other."
For the most part, these are basement businesses and a crafter's home can be as busy as Santa’s workshop.
“If you saw a picture of my workroom right now, it's mostly piles of things,” said crafter Kevin Wilson, who is also organizing a new craft fair this year: the Homesteaders’ Craft Fair.
Crafters create, make and invent things, including knitting, needlepointing, canning and jamming, candlestick-making, and working with wood, leather, metal, clay and jewellery.
"You don't have to live here long to realize how diverse Powell River is,” said McLean. “Talent runs rampant here in so many ways, and crafting is just one of them.”
Preparation for a big craft fair cannot be done a month beforehand, according to Wilson, who said he is returning to craft fairs this year after about a five-year break.
“We're making stuff all year,” said Wilson. “I do a lot of experimenting and prototyping during the rest of the year and then start production in August and September.”
Some of the experiments and prototypes don’t fly, said Wilson, such as a herb-flavoured vinegar.
“There's a limit to how much vinegar one household can use,” he said.
Not content to sell one thing, Wilson has learned to change his product line regularly. He has beaded, knitted, made cushions and sold plants and vegetables. Wilson recycles and upcycles the materials he uses.
“It was quite interesting being at Powell River's Own Craft Fair,” said Wilson. “I'm walking around before we opened and seeing how many stalls had knitted and crocheted hats and I thought, 'I'm not going to sell very many of them. I'm glad I have things like the leather crafts, which nobody else has.' And I sold hats. The biggest seller was hats.”
