Bright start for inclusive craft and food fair
The inaugural Manawatu Craft and Food Fair at Barber Hall was filled with rainbow knitted monkeys and flavoursome fudge.
About 80 craft and food stalls lined the hall on Waldegrave St, Palmerston North, giving the public an array of trinkets to purchase.
Knitted animals, handmade stamps, fairy wands, cheesecake and licorice were some of the items for sale.
The fair was the first of four planned by jewellery maker Fiona Mckey.
Mckey noticed other markets in the region becoming more expensive for stallholders and decided to offer a cheaper alternative.
‘‘I’ve been in the market scene about five years now.
‘‘The local ones here were getting really expensive and they were getting stallholders from further afield.’’
About 90 per cent of the stall holders at this fair were from Palmerston North, with the exception of some from Whanganui and Levin, Mckey said.
‘‘A lot of the stallholders are mums at home making a living from this.’’
People couldn’t afford to fork out $200-$300 for a stall, Mckey said.
At $50 a stall, many stallholders were already booking in for the next fair on June 17, she said.
Despite having to cancel the bouncy castle and ferris wheel, due to bad weather, about 700 people came through the doors, she said.
‘‘It was awesome. We had a steady flow of people.’’
The majority of stalls featured crafts and arts.
Mckey would try to get more foodies on board to share their creations at the next fair.
Hayley Smith went along with friends and said the fudge stall was a stand out for her. ‘‘I also like the pen ink art.’’ Pictures of farms, bush and animals were created with pen and intricate details.
Colleen Richards admired the delicately made 3D pop-cards at one stall.
‘‘There’s some wonderful things here – lovely colours. There’s beautiful soft animals made of felt. They really have personality.’’
The next three fairs are planned for June, September and December.