THOUSANDS will attend the Fine Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday.
File photo

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The weekend has arrived when vendors by the dozen will line First Street to sell crafted goods, art and foodstuffs in a show that has filled downtown for four decades.

One hundred and fifty vendors will fill downtown Saturday from G to C streets for the Benicia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fine Arts and Crafts Fair, all of which were selected in a juried process that began in April.

“We try really hard not to get too many of the same things, try to get a nice variety,” Chamber President and CEO Stephanie Christiansen said.

Prospective vendors send applications that include photos of their wares, and “the pictures help us determine what it is people do, and how close we can put them together, that type of thing.

“We want everyone to be successful,” Christiansen said.

She said most of the vendors are Benicia-based, but some are from Napa, San Francisco, Marin and other parts of the Bay Area. “But then we have one coming from New York, Oregon, Arizona. They’re the farthest traveled,” Christiansen said.

The goods will range from jewelry to kids’ clothing, wine barrel furniture, leather goods, holiday decorations, wooden bird houses, metal sculptures, watercolor paintings, photography, yard art, pottery and much more. “There’s such a variety of items,” Christiansen said.

First Street businesses will get in on the act, too, with some purchasing booth space directly in front of their shops — “either to take advantage of the shoppers, putting out their wares, or leaving the space in front of their business open, encouraging the shoppers to come in to their places of business,” Christiansen said.

And while specialty foodstuffs will be sold, there are no meal vendors at the fair. “We have found that the majority of the people who attend and shop like to sit and eat. They have their hands full. So we encourage people to go to our local restaurants,” Christiansen said.

“We don’t do entertainment or anything else, we just focus on the Craft Fair,” she said. “I think that is why many of our vendors say that they keep coming back. The shoppers are there to shop, and not to do other activities.”

After all, she said, “People start their holiday shopping at this event.”

If You Go
The 40th annual Benicia Chamber of Commerce Fine Arts and Crafts Fair takes place on First Street from G to C streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission and parking are free.

Sharing is caring!