Bigger and better than ever: Studio Fair returns for 50 year anniversary

The 300-plus vendors hope to offer something for everyone, as the goods range from food products, gifts, home made goods, soaps, and a lot more. For the local artist co-ops and guilds, it’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with the community and get a lot of exposure that these groups typically might not get otherwise.

“It’s wonderful because our guild has been around for 48 years, so we’ve basically been part of Studio Fair since almost the beginning. Our guild has grown along with studio fare, so it’s a great way for people to come and see what we do and get new members and sell our wares,” said the Prince George Fibre Arts Guild Treasurer Birthe Miller.

“The first word that comes to mind is amazing. Not only do we get to feed vicariously through the idea of people coming and admiring all the talent, we also have people that are interested in joining our co-op, and that’s always a sort of a delight to be able to explain that to them,” said Lorraine Elliott with the Artists’ Co-op.

Because these groups are smaller community organizations, they, alongside all the other small local businesses, certainly appreciate how much the Studio Fair allows them to advertise and sell their goods. And the economic impact can’t be understated, with Redpath saying each year brings in well over one million dollars to the local economy.

“It opened so many doors for people at home that are interested in becoming involved with producing more art. I was talking to a mother this morning whose children are now all in school, and she has got free time, so she wants to come and do something for herself,” Elliott said.

It’s not just local businesses who enjoy Studio Fair; businesses from all across the province enjoy the opportunity too. Snowgoose Wine & Spirits is one of many who travel for this event. A family business based out of Delta, B.C., it’s owner Mineral Ding says this is just his second year at Studio Fair but he loves it.

“We started to come here last year and we found it’s amazing. It’s so crowded with people, people are so crazy about it, they like to try something new. So then we come again this year, so we are expecting, probably, there are more friends in Prince George who will come to try our products,” Ding said.

Neighbouring Ding’s booth is Kettle and Hive, a business based out of Victoria, B.C. Its owner, Trish Francis, says it’s her first year here, but said she’s heard so many good things about Studio Fair that she wanted to get in on the action too.

“We came all the way up here for the show. We really wanted to kind of expand into the rest of B.C. because Victoria is pretty small, so we are hoping to come up and meet some new people and give out some samples,” Francis said.

“The expenses to do a show like this are pretty minimal for marketing purposes, and there’s no other good way to really reach out to people and get them to try new products and things like that. So it’s really the best bang for your buck to come here and see all of these people and get to sample my products and show off what we’re about,” she continued.

The Studio Fair will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the hours being:

October 31: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

November 1: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

November 2: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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by Tommy Osborne

Bigger and better than ever: Studio Fair returns for 50 year anniversary

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