I always thought the whole idea of a "crafts fair" was to provide access to all levels of craft. It would appear that there is no longer room in Newburyport for those people whose wares don't make an unspecified grade.
According to this story in today's Daily News, our new spring festival will be an upscale event featuring only the finest in handmade ... er, stuff. No facsimile plovers on sticks stuck into a block of wood, thankyouverymuch.
It began last year with Yankee Homecoming, that festival that is for (all) families to come out and have a good time in our little city. The relative lack of interest in the crafts booths was attributed to the low quality of wares being hawked.
According to this story in today's Daily News, our new spring festival will be an upscale event featuring only the finest in handmade ... er, stuff. No facsimile plovers on sticks stuck into a block of wood, thankyouverymuch.
It began last year with Yankee Homecoming, that festival that is for (all) families to come out and have a good time in our little city. The relative lack of interest in the crafts booths was attributed to the low quality of wares being hawked.
Forget that most people think everything at YH should be cheap, if not free. "It's gone too commercial," a neighbor (who has lived here her whole life) told me last year. She still goes, at least for the parade, she added.
But who imagines buying a $150 bracelet at a crafts booth? I imagine buying a $20 (or less) bracelet at a crafts fair.
"We focused on bringing in quality, beautiful items and works that you would find here ordinarily," (Kim Gobbi, owner of The Studio) said. "We want to make it a part of the downtown."
The higher-end craft shows may become the way of life for such festivals in Newburyport.
(Stuff about Yankee Homecoming).
At this year's Spring Fest, (Ann) Ormond said the chamber also, for the first time in a decade, increased the price to enter the show from $250 to $300. The show will have about 30 to 40 crafters.
"We wanted to try to make some changes to upgrade it a little more," Ormond said. "It has a new logo, a new look, a new feel."
Welcome to Karptucketport, folks. No crap that tourists love to pile on allowed.
4 comments:
Pardon my naivety, but how is your moniker of Karptucketport accurate considering Newburyport is already a tourist destination for its mecca of independent boutiques and creative economy? Is your argument that a Chamber business should not be paying an increased participation fee or that less expensive items should be featured?
I see all of this as setup for the Waterfront West development.
As for your second question, the one excludes the other, in many cases. A creative economy, in my opinion, does not exclude the financially struggling artisan that is, or was, a vital part of the community. But most of those have already migrated to Amesbury, where they are more welcome.
That's why I like the Artisans in the Open shows and places like Chameleon and the gift shop at the NAA. They all include crafts at every level of affordability. Makes for good birthday/holiday shopping.
State Street Candle & Mug - boy do I miss that place. Lee really offered a good selection of items for every "level" of tourist.
And I think Newburyport is a tourist destination because of the historic buildings, the river, the birds and Plum Island (the two latter being intertwined). The boutiques are a bonus. In my opinion.
And I think Newburyport is a tourist destination because of the historic buildings, the river, the birds and Plum Island (the two latter being intertwined). The boutiques are a bonus. In my opinion.
I disagree with your opinion. Historic buildings and rivers are found in many cities across the globe; I grant you that architectural and maritime history is unique to this city that is not found in comparable locales, but surely you don't imply people visit Newburyport for things they can see in their own backyards?
I suppose it's a good question, one to be asked more broadly: What is Newburyport's tourist lure, and should it be something else? I'll ponder writing that for a feature somewhere.
Oh, Ari, yes I do imply that. The buildings are the #1 thing people visiting me and my family want to see. I have given several driving/walking tours of our city to visitors from Nevada (where there is nary a historic building, or water), New York City, and even my relatives visiting from England (they chuckled at Rosie O'Shea's; seems there's a pub called that in every village/town/city in England). Same scenario when I lived in Boston.
When I travel, that's what I want to see: historic buildings.
So, yeah, I stand by my assertion.
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