News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Shoppers and vendors alike enjoyed a successful Antique Faire. photo by Jim Cornelius
The Sisters Antique Faire drew a large crowd of shoppers to the Sisters Village Green on Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17 -- and they seemed to be in a mood to buy.
Vendors reported brisk sales on everything from dishware to western leather goods to furniture.
"There was just a literal crush of people there for the first few hours," said Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Ric Nowak.
The success of this year's event was welcome news to the sponsoring Chamber. Last year's fair generated controversy and criticism from vendors who felt the event was under-advertised and poorly organized.
"We knew that and we were challenged by that," Nowak said. "We knew this was the make-or-break year for us and we made it."
Nowak credited Events Coordinator Jeri Buckmann for the turnaround.
"That's all to Jeri Buckmann's credit," he said. "She worked on that so hard."
The event drew 120 vendors, some of whom left angry last year. This year's event seemed to mollify any bad feelings.
"Some of the vendors who were most critical last year went out of their way to tell us they were very pleased," said Nowak.
Nowak is an antique dealer himself and he thought the attendance, especially on Saturday, was as good as he's seen anywhere.
It wasn't just strollers, either. Several vendors reported unusually strong sales. One furniture vendor showed up with 18 pieces of oak furniture and left with only three.
Nowak said it is difficult to gauge when and why shoppers pull out their wallets. However, he noted, comments from local retailers indicate a recent improvement in the sales climate.
"Maybe people are sensing that the economy is turning around," Nowak said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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