What an absolutely lovely day we had Sunday at the Moonbow Christmas Fair! There is so much to share: our vendors, who represent the best-of-the-best regionally; the turn-out, which certainly exceeded 1,000; and, of course, the great team here at Moonbow that made it happen.
Craft Fairs
First, let me take a step back and explain why this day is so important to me. As a child, I grew up going to craft fairs with my dad and mom. My father has a mobile bookstand called “Appalachian Mountain Books.” My mother sewed and sold dolls. I am one of 7 of their children, but I was the one who loved going to the fairs the most, so I went to plenty of them. My favorite was the one hosted by John Rice Irwin at the Museum of Appalachia in Tennessee, because that one required traditional period clothing and I got to put on a calico dress and sunbonnet.
As much as I enjoyed dressing up and making sales, I always knew that craft fairs were a ton of hard work. There is getting the display ready and setting it up, which in our case involved lugging boxes of heavy books. The very long hours of talking with customers, sometimes without a break to eat or a chance to go to the bathroom. If the event was far away, we would sometimes sleep in the car to save money that would otherwise go to hotel bills. And while some fairs were good, others were nothing short of heartbreaking. All that time and preparation, and then very few people would show up, or they would scurry by quickly, trying to avoid a display where there were no intentions of a purchase. With transportation, booth fees, meals and all, it was entirely possible to lose money for all the effort. And when you grow up in a family with very limited funds, you know how stressful it is when money does not come through.
Hosting my own craft fair is something I never thought about when I was a child, but I will tell you that I take it as a tremendous responsibility. I am incredibly proud of the artists who came—each makes something special, and is a successful business in their own right. But I also know that none of them have extra time or money, and many of them are used to well-established fairs with a long history of attendance. These are people I value, and I care very much about disappointing them.
Team Effort
Linda, Jo, and myself taking a selfie right before the fair started
Of course, the lovely thing about running a business is having a great team of people. I had two women helping me with the fair this year. First up is Linda, who led communication with the vendors towards our marketing efforts. Second is Jo, who is my right-hand and helped us transform the space into a Christmas wonderland. This was no small feat, considering that we had two fall-themed weddings the same weekend in Second & Main: one on Friday and one on Saturday. This meant absolutely zero Christmas items were in the space prior to Sunday morning.
Linda was the first to arrive on Sunday, and she led logistics of getting vendors into great spaces. I wanted everyone to feel as if they had a prime spot. Plus, we had a band and hot food preparation, so the stage and the kitchen were both being utilized. No sooner than we had the tables up and the doors unlocked than our vendors began to roll in. And from the moment they arrived, I began to feel relaxed. We were in the company of friends.
Our Artists
I keep on saying it because I mean it, but the folks we had at the fair are all amazing people and artists. The lineup included:
Appalachian Mountain Books from Berea
Findings Co. from Corbin
Acres of Grace Farm / The Stone Pansy from Clay County
Mountain Gypsy Botanical Bath & Herbal Curiosities from Harlan County
The Makery from Manchester
Art by Lacy Hale from Whitesburg
Velvet Whiskey Candle Co. from London
B.E. Leathercraft from Laurel County
Hill & Holler from Harlan County
Bark Camp Pottery from Whitley County
The Gypsy Forge from Hazard
That first one listed is my dad’s own book stand. You can take a look at each of these folks in the gallery below.
The Turnout
Harlan and Perry check in with Santa during the Corbin Downtown Christmas Open House
The time came to open our doors. The band, Kites, began their live music, and if you have not yet heard this folk/indie duo, you are missing out on some magic. And then the people came, and came and came. There were plenty of times it was so crowded it was hard to make it in and out the door. Many of these people were coming for the Corbin Christmas Downtown Open House, and annual event that was taken to new levels this year with a Grinch Village and a skating rink. But we also had some lovely faces that came in from farther away because they love and support Moonbow. I even had an old friend from high school stop in!
At the end of the day, it was exactly what I had hoped and prayed for: a great time for each one of our visitors as they enjoyed music and shopping. It was a successful sales day for all of our vendors. And, it was a great day in the store as well.
But the many faces represented something to me far greater than a good turnout. To me it shows how many are willing to take the time to come to Main Street and be part of a community. People who are excited to get something unique handmade by a person. It speaks of a future where we look for more than the convenience of scrolling online and having a box show up on our door step. Part of the magic of Christmas is being part of something bigger than yourself, and I felt that warmth over and over again on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who came out and made it possible — I can’t wait to do it again next year.
