This year on Nov. 9 from 10a.m.-6p.m., and Nov. 10 from 10a.m.-5p.m., artists, chefs, and entrepreneurs travelled from far and wide to sell their products to the people of Westport.
CraftWestport, a craft show run annually by the Westport Young Woman’s League, has been an important event around town for the past 38 years. Vendors ranging from the Prima Dolce Company, to Lenti Zootowel, to Buddha Dog, to the New York Times set up their stalls at Staples High School for customers to sample and buy their merchandise.
“We are one-of-a-kind,” Meg Himes, CraftWestport Chair and Vice President of the Westport Young Woman’s League said. “We have over 170 of America’s most talented craft artists from 20 different states.”
Staples students find that the wide range of goods presented at the fair makes it appeal to everyone.
“There are a lot of new products to experience here that you wouldn’t be able to get otherwise,” Nikhita Shankar ’15, who worked at the Myrick’s Confectionary of Manchester, Vermont, said.
The money that the league makes from admission, raffles, bake sales, and the pop-up market place will go to charities around the lower Fairfield County area. However, by purchasing goods from specific stands, one is helping fund each artist’s business.
As Cliff, who worked at the busy Keifer’s Kettle Korn stand said, “CraftWestport is great for us. We sell a lot of products [at Craft Westport] each year, and it helps people hear about us.”
CraftWestport serves as a unique alternative to the usual chain stores.
“It’s like a museum full of beautiful things,” Anne, a Southport resident said. “I wish I could take everything home.”