Hunterdon Harmonizers Craft Show (2015)
PO Box 2175
Flemington, NJ 08822
Third Weekend of September
9:00am-4:00pm
We usually exhibit at this show because we live in the community, the music is fun and we run into people we have not seen in a while. The non-juried show is held on Main Street in Flemington. Since Main Street is not closed to traffic, the selling area is on both sides of sidewalk and runs about four blocks. There are crafters, commercial jewelers, home improvement contractors & local fundraisers.
The promoters are all volunteers and members of Hunterdon Harmonizers and have been organizing this show for many years. They are a great bunch to do business with. Weeks before the show, Hunterdon Harmonizers post about 40 signs all over township roads, several articles appear in local newspapers and information is posted on Flemington Business District’s website.
Set up starts at 7:00am and the event runs 9:00am – 4:00pm. Some sellers hang around until 5:00pm since there are still people walking the streets. Since there is no street parking during the show, curbside unloading is fairly easy. We were able to unload directly in front of our spot. There are certain areas of the sidewalk that are very wide and in these areas; exhibitors/vendors are placed on both sides of the sidewalk leaving a narrow path for buyers to stroll through. If you are in a “double wide” area, unloading can be an issue because the exhibitor/vendor nearest the street side of the sidewalk can be right where you are unloading. Despite this, unloading was much easier here than other places we’ve exhibited. There is plenty of free parking - even for cargo trailers. Exhibitors/vendors are issued a ticket for a free small coffee at a local restaurant. While getting your coffee you can purchase breakfast.
The show is held over two days and despite not having overnight security, exhibitors/vendors who have tents with sides typically leave things set up overnight. Flemington is a low crime area and we have been told that the police pay special attention to the area overnight.
This year due to the promoters being given the wrong key, bathroom facilities consisted of porta potties and not indoor bathrooms. There are a few Main Street stores but Flemington is not known for a great Main Street commerce area – although they are trying to turn that around.
Entertainment (both days) consisted of a continuous oldies DJ and an hour of a live performance by Hunterdon Harmonizers – a male Capella chorus singing barbershop harmony. Both were great!
My husband is a fine and decorative wood artist. In 2009, our sales were almost six times table. In 2010, sales were down to two times table. In 2011, sales were about four times table. We skipped a year but came back in 2013 and sales were up to five times table - approximately 83% of our sales were made on Sunday. In 2014, we only exhibited on Saturday due to a last minute family obligation and did very well. Had we been able to exhibit on Sunday, we would have had a banner year at Hunterdon Harmonizers Craft Show. This year was the worst year ever and our sales were about equal on both days.
In addition to Out of the Woods-USA, there was a wood toy maker and wood furniture maker at the show. We were all next to each other. This show would not support another wood artist/crafter. There were also several jewelry makers and resellers at the show. The show could benefit from additional entertainment or some sort of attraction on each end. Main Street Flemington often has car shows and these are exceptionally well attended. Perhaps adding a car show to the craft show might bring more people in.
For $85, you get a 10x10 space, usually pleasant weather, good music and company. The usual estimated attendance is about 1,000 -1,500 buyers between the two days – I suspect attendance was down this year..
Replies