INDIANOLA — It’s not yet the biggest retail shopping day of the year, the Friday after Thanksgiving, but people got a head start this weekend at the Holiday Bazaar in Indianola and the Harvest Market in Kingston.
“I’m having better sales than ever,” said Corena Chamberlain, who sold luminaries and stationery items. She and several vendors packed into the Indianola Club House this weekend. And so did the people.
“I think we’re getting better known each year,” she said of the event.
Many of the vendors agreed there seemed to be more people wanting to buy handmade items for themselves and others.
Back in Indianola Henry Wilkenson said the fair brought in a fair amount of business for his first attempt at breaking into the craft market. Sunday he demonstrated his artwork, which is dominated by pen and ink recreations of
animals.
A new Bainbridge island resident, Wilkenson said friends suggested that he take his artwork public. He shared a booth with his son Steve who also does similar work.
“It’s been fun for us,” Wilkenson said.
As for how lucrative the venture was for the pair, he said he would know better at the end of the day.
“I can’t complain. This is just our first showing,” he said.
But judging by the flow of people through the cramped clubhouse, it looked as though many vendors would have a good weekend.
Jewelry, clothing, art, food, music and even furniture were on the selling block. Many of the crafters were Indianola residents including Nikki Quester and Mary Lantz.
Quester was selling cotton clothing and said shows like these give people a better shopping alternative.
“If you had the choice to go here or to Target, where would you go,” she asks with a smile.
Lantz, who was selling handmade crafts such as a crocheted duck that could “poop” jellybeans.
“Everybody is so nice. We have a lot of good people here,” she said as people filed by her table. It’s not just the crafters who benefit from the sale she said, the community benefits as well. The sale raises money for the upkeep of the Indianola Club House and raises awareness in the region about
Indianola. Still one crowd member was overheard saying, “The club house is easy to find, it’s Indianola I had trouble finding.”
