LYNDON - With the holiday season right around the corner, craft shows around the Northeast Kingdom have become the go-to for small business gift-giving. Lyndonville Agway planned a two-weekend Craft and Specialty Food Festival to meet this demand. Vendors set up in the greenhouse behind the business on Saturday, November 13, and Sunday, November 14.
Craft shows like this are a great opportunity for small businesses and craft hobbyists to network and advertise themselves. That's exactly what Melissa Fournier did with her graphic designs. Fournier runs Limitless Graphix out of her home in Passumpsic, making custom Cricut designs on glassware, apparel, dishes, and more. The Agway Festival is the second craft fair she's ever attended; her first appearance was at the St. Johnsbury Moose Lodge Craft Fair in August.
Previously, Fournier exclusively advertised her designs on Facebook. "I find a whole lot of people are not on Facebook," she admitted, "and they want to see [the product] in-person." Meeting up with her customers has proved difficult as she tries to work around their schedules and her own work schedule.
Fournier says the holiday season is a great opportunity for crafters large and small as it's easy to market to. "People definitely do like personalized [things] and something you can't find at the store," she said. Fournier says her customers look for cheaper alternatives and actively want to support local businesses.
Limitless Graphix also has one-up on the big retail stores: you can always find the correct spelling of your name. "My daughter's name is Zoe, and we always used to see 'Zoey' versus 'Zoe.' It's nice to have the ability to customize the correct word and spelling," Fournier said. This allows Fournier to grow her business and connections with her customers by offering a more personalized service.
Fournier and other vendors will return to Lyndonville Agway for the Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12 dates of the craft fair.