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Date: 11/16/2021
BELCHERTOWN – On Nov. 20, craft vendors will take over Belchertown’s Old Town Hall and offer their goods as a part of Rey of Sunshine’s first ever Holiday Craft Fair.
Rey of Sunshine owner Natalie Santana said nearly all of the vendors are Belchertown natives.
“I did try to keep it so that every table is a different thing, so nobody is trying to outsell each other or compete against each other. I did try to keep it all with local artists as well, there is one from the Springfield area, otherwise 95 percent are from Belchertown here,” she said.
Santana said the vendors will offer a variety of different goods for people to browse.
“There is going to be wire wrapped jewelry, there are going to be paper crafts with buttons, resin lake hangings for walls, handmade soaps, hand painted ceramics, different canvas arts, wreaths, polymer clay items, dog bandanas, raw local honey, crystal jewelry and chainmail items. We have a little bit of everything,” she said.
With a variety of vendors, Santana said she hopes people take time to browse all the offerings.
“I suggest that everybody takes their time and at least glances over every table at the table because they are all so different. There is no one table I would suggest you have to check out or look at,” she said.
Santana said she is hoping for a good turnout.
“Currently on our Facebook event we have about 200 people that said they are going or are interested in it, that does not always equate to the number of people that will actually show up, but I am hoping it is a pretty good turnout because I want all of the vendors to succeed,” she said.
Santana said the fair will be following all of the Board of Health’s current guidelines for indoor gatherings.
“It is completely free to stop in, there will be restrooms there for people to use. Because it is indoors there will be the mask mandate and I will be supplying extra masks and hand sanitizer for the public if they do forget and all of the vendors as well,” she said.
With an outpouring of responses, Santana said she hopes to be able to host more fairs in the future.
“I have actually had a lot more people message and email me with interest of being a vendor than I anticipated so if this one goes well I would definitely even think about doing something in the summertime when it can be outdoors and have a bunch more vendors available to join,” she said.
“This is my first time running a fair and I am a one-person business so I thought I should do it and I am excited to see how it goes,” Santana said.
Rey of Sunshine’s Holiday Craft Fair takes place from 12 to 5 p.m. at 28 Park St.