ESTABLISHED in 1988

20 YEARS!

We want this to be our best ever show to mark two decades of fine shows so the committee is starting early and bookings are being taken now. We know from the experiences of other shows that the Craft Industry along with all retail is going through a bad patch at present as nobody wants to spend too much - just in case - such is our confidence in this government’s control over our economy! However, our trade policy is very high quality, craftsman made goods (no cheap imports) and as a general rule craftsmen do not operate high street shops so low overheads and fees mean very good prices. Perfectly timed for early Christmas Shopping. Also as a general rule you can come and meet the craftsman and many will be demonstrating their skills, so if you don’t find exactly what you want you can get it made specially for you, not necessarily on the day but in good time for Christmas.

2008

Public attendance was well up this year and our stallholders reported very good business. We did everything we could think of this year, very worried that the general retail climate and the tremendous gloom around the craft circuit would make a nonsense of our trying to celebrate 20 years of high quality shows. We will never know if any particular effort made the difference, more likely all contributed its share. More advertising, more posters more references in local papers and magazines, carefully timed articles, we did it all.

Two people took up my offer to have a go at wood turning and both walked off with very acceptable letter openers that they had made themselves. As I looked around me I also saw other stallholders with members of the public having a go too. Expect this to be a feature for future shows too.

As I write this we are still doing the sums but it is looking like at least £400 profit for the Community Association funds thanks to the superb refreshments the Tombola and door money. All the stallholders fees having been spent as usual on advertising during the run up to the event.

This years photos were taken mostly just as we were ready, soon after this I got busy and didn’t take any more. Pity really, there were some really nice things that could have done with pictures of their own.

The history of the show.

Many years ago now (1988) the Elsenham Community Association started holding annual Art and Craft Fairs in the Village Hall. Joan Boughton was the driving force then.  I was just getting reasonably proficient with my woodturning and had got to the point of wondering what to do with all the stuff I was making. My hobby was the making and over the years I had become good enough to have stopped throwing my efforts quietly in the bin! The village and I started in craft fairs together and we succeeded and grew together, eventually I got co-opted onto the committee. Many of the rest of the committee are also exhibiting local craft-people so we have a very strong vested interest not just in making money for our community but making the show an overall success. To us the show has to be seen as payday for all and good for the public too else they won’t come back next year.

Support by local artists has also been growing over the years so that now we are seeing a wide variety of media and styles. As organisers we count ourselves fortunate that artists are such individualists that we never have to worry about them clashing.

The other committee stalwarts are Sue and Peter Johnson, Sue and Richard Moulds and Terry and Brenda Rosamond and recently Robin ans Elizabeth Barker have joined in. As you can see its a very small committee for such a lot of work, if you have any spare time at all and would like to help out you will be most welcome.

It is not a large show, we can just pack in 27 stalls but we never do, preferring to be able to move around easily. This puts a practical limit of 24 pitches on us plus a lot of half pitch demonstration spaces.

We are careful with our bookings, only good quality genuine craft goods are allowed in, our reputation around the villages is more important to us than the pitch fees. We have come to respect the acceptance criteria of the Guild of Essex Craftsmen and don’t need to verify the quality of members work. Some other ‘Guilds’ however simply make a charge to use their logo and do no vetting but we know who they are! We are  additionally very careful to avoid excessive duplication and on our documentation the point is clearly made that exhibitors must not turn up with goods outside their declared interest.

To resolve conflicts local craft-workers get first priority for a month after the year’s launch in the village magazine, on a first come basis, then the remaining pitches are thrown open but we prime the pumps so to speak with a ring around to all the people who have exhibited with us before. As my wife and I travel around the Craft Fair venues we also keep an eye open for new people with fresh ideas and try to book them too, we need to keep the show developing.

Any craftworker wanting to exhibit can make contact through e-mail to me. Non-guild members will be asked to provide returnable photos or samples of goods.