ANDOVER — With close to 200 vendors selling their goods, this craft fair had a little something for every shopper.
At the 48th annual Crafts in the Park on May 11, 190 vendors set up for a day of selling everything from spice blends to soaps, paintings to 3-D printed fidget toys.
“There’s one person who found me today and she said she comes here every year from Kansas,” said Karen Herman, the organizer for this year’s craft fair. “She said she doesn’t want to miss it.”
One repeat crafter, Katie Nagy, had her hand-painted jackets on display. The jackets came in all different sizes, from toddlers to adults, and were mostly blue denim, but there were some white denim and leather jackets as well.
The painted jackets started as a gift for her daughter, Nagy said. While walking in Boston together, Nagy said a car pulled over and asked them where they had purchased the jacket.
“It just evolved from there,” Nagy said. “I’ve had at least four customers come back wearing jackets they purchased last year. They really seem to love it.”
While most vendors shared the goods they made for nothing more than their own love for their artforms, there were some booths that were donating their proceeds for good causes. Some people had pledges for donating for the troops, others had Ukrainian flags and donated aid to the people in the war zone.
One booth in particular had a different type of fundraiser.
Archita Roy, a jewelry designer in New Hampshire, donates 100% of the proceeds from her sales to two schools and a shelter in India.
“I didn’t feel good about only asking people for money,” Roy said. “With this, I could put my jewelry making skills to good use this way.”
Roy’s jewelry company, ADC Jewelry Designs’ slogan is “Adorn yourself while helping a child in need,” and is something she takes very seriously. The schools she helps in India are focused toward helping young teen girls get an education.
At another booth, Carolyn Cutler Hughes kept the wind from knocking down the children’s books she had on display.
The books have themes offering different ways to help people, especially children, Hughes said.
“The books have all sorts of hard situations in them,” Hughes said. “They’re all life events that I’ve been through, explained in a story for children. It helps me and I hope to help others.”
Hughes uses watercolor painting as a way to deal with difficult situations she’s experienced, like the death of her father or her son being deployed in the military. She takes inspiration from nature and turns challenging topics into stories that children can understand.
Whether it’s about moving to a new state or loving someone who is battling addiction, each books is made digestible for children and adults alike to help them process whatever they are experiencing.
“It’s what we consider our ministry,” Hughes said. “I’ve been given this ability, so I might as well give back.”