P.E.I. craft fairs booming as more people hope to find profit at their fingertips

Jo Ann Crawford has been knitting since she was a little girl. Her mom taught her how when she was about eight years old.

"When she passed away nine years ago, I took it over," she said. "I would make lots of hats and mittens and socks and scarves for the entire family and give them out at Christmas. But COVID stopped us having Christmases together."

While gatherings were a no-go during the pandemic, the knitting didn't stop. In fact, Crawford was wielding her needles even more.

"I had lost my job during COVID so I had a lot of free time on my hand," she said. "I think that a lot more people were getting into more crafts because they found ... you could only watch so much TV or be on the computer for so long."

Saddled with a huge stock of items post-pandemic and with her daughter's encouragement, Crawford started doing something she'd never done before: Selling what she had made.

This year will be the first time she will participate as a vendor in one of P.E.I.'s many craft fairs — and she's not the only one doing just that.

'There are a lot of people that are feeling the pinch of the current economy, and a craft fair is a really nice way to kind of get out for an afternoon of shopping.' (Travis Kingdon/CBC)

Organizers say there's been an increase in the number of people selling their wares in such fairs this season, lots of them getting into it for the first time.

"I sometimes wonder if maybe with their time spent at home during the pandemic, if that was an opportunity for some people maybe to take up a new hobby or a new craft, and now they're seeing that it has potential for income," said Kirsten MacLaine, band director at Bluefield Senior High School and one of the people overseeing the school's annual band craft fair this weekend.

Jo Ann Crawford has been knitting since she was a little girl. (Submitted by Jo Ann Crawford)

MacLaine said the number of vendor tables at that craft fair has jumped to about 100 from 65 at last year's event, the first since the pandemic.

She said many factors could've led to that growth, including a bigger emphasis on buying local — and people looking for some side income amid economic hardships.

"I know that there are a lot of people that are feeling the pinch of the current economy, and a craft fair is a really nice way to kind of get out for an afternoon of shopping," MacLaine added.

"You can buy thoughtful, meaningful gifts that maybe don't cost as much as mass marketed gifts or larger gifts that people might have traditionally given in the past."

More crafters, more craft fairs

Shari MacDonald, the secretary at the Milton Community Hall and organizer of the Milton Craft Fair this weekend, said the number of craft fairs being held across the Island has also gone up.

"Last year, we probably had more interest because there weren't as many craft fairs on that particular weekend. But as far as I know, all the craft fairs around are fairly full," she said.

'COVID kind of created a new environment where people are more choosy about what they're doing with their time.' (Travis Kingdon/CBC)

"It's a really busy craft fair weekend, so we're hoping that people will take the opportunity to grab some friends or family and spend the day at different craft fairs around the area."

Thirty-five vendors will offer their wares at the Milton Craft Fair, with a couple of people on a wait list for a table.

MacLaine said she's interested in maybe doing a "craft fair trail" in the future, to help smaller craft fairs in the region attract more people by having their events on the same day.

Ayelet Stewart, executive director of the P.E.I. Crafts Council, says this year's Christmas craft fair will be the biggest yet, with 67 vendors lined up. (Nancy Russell/CBC )

Meanwhile, organizers of P.E.I.'s longest-running juried craft fair have also been noticing a surge in interest in handmade goods.

Ayelet Stewart, executive director of the P.E.I. Crafts Council, says this year's Christmas fair on the Nov. 24-26 weekend will be the biggest yet, with 67 vendors lined up, all of them members of the council.

"Maybe since COVID, people are trying to focus more on doing what they love doing, and maybe that's how a lot of people have found their ways to their craft," she speculated.

"COVID kind of created a new environment where people are more choosy about what they're doing with their time."

Prices going up

This year, the council's Christmas craft fair will be held at the Charlottetown Seaport at 1 Weymouth St. instead of the convention centre at the nearby Delta Charlottetown. Potters, jewelry makers, and artisans specializing in paper, glass, wood and textile crafts will be selling their wares.

But Stewart said that while members of the P.E.I. Craft Council are noticing an explosion in interest in what they produce, they're also facing increased costs.

Some of Jo Ann Crawford's knitted goods. (Submitted by Jo Ann Crawford)

"Everybody's prices have gone up because the materials are expensive and they cost a lot more to ship over to P.E.I.," Stewart said. "That's definitely something I hear from everybody, but it's not stopping them from making crafts and hoping to sell it."

Knitter to donate proceeds

Crawford is among those hoping. She said she's nervous people may not buy her goods because of the economy.

"You don't want to price things so that people can't afford them," she said. "If you price it too high, they're not going to buy anything."

People's needs are one of the reasons why Crawford said she's participating in the craft fairs to begin with: She said she will donate all her proceeds to charity.

"I love to knit, and I wanted to take a chance and go in the craft fair and just see if people like my stuff," she said. "If so, maybe I'll do it again next year."

You can find Crawford's knitting at BGC Charlottetown's inaugural Holiday Craft Fair on Dec. 9-10 at 35 St. Peters Rd.

For other events, check out Tourism P.E.I.'s listing of craft fairs offered in 2023.