Homemade for the Holidays, 17th Annual Bazaar

I'd heard about the Homemade for the Holidays annual bazaar at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, but I'd never been to it.  This annual craft fair in Lacey is coordinated by a local resident, Debbie Wakefield, who is herself a crafter.  The fair is really well-publicized, with Debbie sending every vendor flyers and about 5 post cards for their own distribution.  I'm told this year it was bigger even than last year--a bit of a surprise considering the economy--with more vendors and in more building than previous years.

This fair was a two-day event, starting Friday afternoon and going through Saturday.  Friday afternoon was relatively light, and attendees consisted mostly of regulars.  The crafter next to me told me he'd attended for several years, and that it was a good bazaar for developing repeat customers.  In fact, Friday night about the only customers at his booth were repeats.

In terms of other attractions at the event, Debbie makes sure there are food vendors to help encourage attendees to stay around.  This year, I believe Bavarian Wurst, an Olympia company, provided bratwurst and sausages.  I'll have to do a better job next year of checking out the other vendors, but I'm a sucker for a good brat, so that's as far as I made it this year.

This was the first bazaar where I was able to display my newly-made sign, courtesy of Garn Turner, a long-time friend and independent sign maker.  Debbie put me in the Sakolik Building next to Paula's Soap Scentsations and down the way from Liz and Randy Lobe's Against the Grain Creations.  The booths are large and offered plenty of room to showcase my Grampa Bill's BBQ Sauce, my Bill's World Leathercrafts, and my sister-in-law's Flirty Girl products.  All in all, it was a good bazaar, and I'll be back there next year.