Sharon Miller’s gourds and masks
Barbara Johnson
Those who have attended the Arts & Crafts Fairs in the spring and fall know that we have a tremendous number of truly creative artisans here in SaddleBrooke. Our current state of the COVID pandemic encouraged our artisans to be even more creative in these trying times. Unable to hold its regular indoor fair, we opted for a road show so we could give our residents an opportunity to continue the tradition. To keep our artisans and residents safe, we had a drive-by show, with each artisan placing their wares in their garage or on their front courtyard. Each one had their display out, along with hand sanitizers and social distancing (as well as balloons on their mailboxes to make them more visible). Both vendors and buyers were masked for this one-of-a-kind way to hold the event. We also restricted the buyers to the SaddleBrooke residents, and with everyone spread out throughout the community there were no big crowds.
This proved to be a highly successful event for both the artisans and the shoppers! Our resident shoppers got to go out and see people safely as well as shop for those unique items. Many buyers made a day of it—they got together in pairs or groups of four and made a day of shopping together—just like Ladies Day Out. Flyers had been put in tubes beforehand with the addresses and unit numbers of the artisans. It also listed what type of items each vendor had, so shoppers could decide ahead of time where they wanted to go or they could go to all vendors so they could see all the choices they could make. In this venue the vendors were spaced far enough apart so everyone could see what they wanted without being elbow to elbow with other shoppers.
The road show proved to be such a big hit with both vendors and shoppers it will be continued again in the spring. The committee has taken all of the comments and feedback into consideration and will incorporate a few improvements in the next show (be on the lookout for some giveaways/raffles in the spring!). Stay tuned for the announcement of the date.