A victim of the pandemic, Sugarloaf Craft Shows is closing. One of my friends who sold his paintings at their shows told me that they've had to declare bankruptcy. h ttps://sugarloafcrafts.com/ (take out the space in https) I always had my own things going on when they had their shows so I never went, but everyone spoke well of them and said it was a great show. A tradition since 1975, killed by covid.
Sugarloaf Craft Festivals closes after 45 years
- Thread starter mishmish
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These are the exact effects no one likes to think/talk about. There are so many ”industries” being destroyed by over-reaching regulations that we are in real trouble. This is very very sad to hear.
Are they "over-reaching"? Our state was forced to close state parks because folks were leaving their garbage behind and/or doing other stupid stuff because no one was around to tell them "no".
Sugarloaf didn't close due to "over-reaching regulations", it closed because the pandemic has made it dangerous to all of us to gather indoors in large numbers. There's no sense in organizing a festival if no one comes because they're afraid of getting sick and dying.
There are things that can be done...limiting the number of people allowed IN the building, requiring masks, visible reminders.
Just want to add that it is the heating and cooling systems that make indoor events problematic.
I don't know anything about the trajectory of sales at Sugarloaf over the past few years. At the time the decision to close was made, maybe people were freaked out and uncertain and just preferred to pull out and not risk it. Some of the shows that I've been doing for years have suffered from the population aging out of the craft scene - fewer young families, lower attendance in general. I just heard from a farmers market "neighbor" who sells fruit: he told me that sales and attendance at the farmers markets are through the roof, because people are bored and want to get outside and do something. But customers can't touch anything, which makes selling soap and body care hard. You could sell to regular customers who know the products, but new customers need to smell soap to decide.
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I have done and hopefully will do next year a few fairs where the entrance fee is $300-$600. To do this type of fair I need large sales to have a profit. Sugarloaf was probably facing the reality that large entry fees they needed and small crowds will not work for most vendors.
