A “Dickens” of a craft fair!

By Doreen Marion Gee

A neophyte at James Bay's Dickens Fair in December, I was in for a wild ride! Overall, it was one of the highlights of my holidays - a fun-filled, enjoyable and exhilarating experience. The experience left me with a deep respect for the artisans who market their wares on a regular basis and a profound regard for the people who make it all happen every year. The Dickens Fair-“ies” provide a very valuable service to both entrepreneurs and the community at large.

A seasonal tradition, the Dickens Fair has been jump-starting the Christmas spirit in James Bay for 34 years. It is the love-child of the James Bay Market Society who also put on the James Bay Community Market in the summer and Seedy Saturday in February. My first “Thank you” goes to Carole Elliott, member of the Society's Board of Directors, for her kind support of me as a local artist and for going out of her way to help me with all the details of applying to be an exhibitor at the Dickens Fair. It was exciting to bring my photo book and calendar about James Bay to a wider audience.

On the morning of the event, I passed the first test: getting up at 7 AM on a Saturday. Bleary-eyed and zombie-like, I gathered all my materials together and headed off to the James Bay School Community Centre. My adrenaline was pumping. Forget that I had slept for three hours; I was ready for action on my first stint at a craft fair. After I set up my table, I observed all the energetic artisans around me, marketing their talents and beautiful wares. First of all, I noticed another woman selling calendars around the corner. How dare she! The audacity! I thought.Then I watched her huge smile from ear to ear as she held up her spectacular calendar and warmly chatted with everyone who passed by. And I saw all the people buying her work. Hmmm, smart lady! One of my lasting impressions from the craft fair was the high level of talent and skill of those local artisans. On a walkabout, I saw amazing homemade hats and exquisite hand-made jewellery that could rival anything from the most high-end boutiques in downtown Victoria. One woman's decorated eggs were mini-masterpieces: some of them opened up with little miniature scenes inside. I was bedazzled.

Quite honestly, I have never worked so hard in my life. Overall I did well, but during the course of seven hours, I made my sales pitch about a hundred times. I have a whole new respect and admiration for vendors who do the market-thing on a regular basis. I had a lot of fun overall and I loved meeting and talking to all the people. The musical entertainment was fantastic. A special message of gratitude goes out to all the local people who made a point to stop and give me very generous compliments on the quality of my work. Their positive comments meant the world to me.

The Dickens Fair was a well-oiled machine. Everything seemed so well-organized and super-efficient. The volunteers were very helpful with any questions or needed bathroom breaks. 

Carole Elliott seemed to have everything under control as she flitted about to all the vendors, giving us encouraging words. I appreciate the smooth efficient supervision of the vendors by Kate King, the 2014 Dickens Fair Coordinator, who gave us all very thorough and detailed descriptions of what to do on the day of the fair. Kate was a warm presence at the Fair, making sure everything was going well.

The people who put on the Dickens Fair every year are doing a big favour to entrepreneurs looking to build their businesses. As well as providing a venue for entrepreneurs to sell their products and make an income, the Fair is a way to make those contacts and connections that are worth their weight in gold. The most valuable part of the Dickens Fair experience for me was the opportunity to network with local people and hand out my business cards. Who knows how many local crafters have forged a lucrative career after being noticed at the Dickens Fair and Summer Market.

This year, there were a record number of customers at the Dickens Fair. Our community benefits tremendously from the Dickens Fair and the Summer Market. The markets bring people together in the community to talk and socialize. People derive satisfaction from knowing that they are helping local artisans to make a living. The markets are a great way for people to “buy local” and spend their money to improve and bolster our community economically. Finally, consumers get more 'bang for their buck.' The Dickens Fair showcased high-quality hand-made items that were uniquely beautiful – that you cannot get anywhere else.

The Dickens Fair was a wonderful romp. And the fun and enjoyment is definitely addictive. Summer market, here I come!