The weather played a big part in bringing in the crowds at Kempenfest this weekend, and the big arts and crafts show wrapped up tonight.
The last day of Kempenfest proved to be as busy as the first two, and vendor Paula's Handcrafted Jewelry’s Paula Robertson could not be happier.
“I've been coming here for 30 years and I would say this year is tops,” she says. “We always do well but this year is my best show ever.”
And if it looked more crowded than ever, it probably was.
“Attendance is up to about 200,000 or more for the weekend,” says Kempenfest organizer Tom Aikin.
And Melissa Rodney says there were plenty of deals.
“It's a great place to come and shop and we ended up buying a molded crane made out of aluminum,” she says.
Meanwhile, some businesses like The Farmhouse restaurant capitalized on the crowds.
“Yeah it was busy, we doubled the staff and we just kept our head above the water,” owner Randy Feltis says.
Some vendors at Kempenfest say there's good reason for the strong sales.
“You have to guess that a lot has to do with the weather,” says Ken Loverock from Fergusonvale Pottery. “It's a lot easier for people to get around and have a good look at stuff.”
But the "stuff" that sells at Kempenfest has changed over the years says antique dealer John MacDonald. Higher-end merchandise doesn't move like it used too, he says, but less expensive stuff does.
“Yeah lower end,” he says, “that's what I bring now. I'd bring higher end but there's nobody here to buy it.”
But there was proof of one high end purchase this weekend – the giant 15-foot hand-carved wooden griffin sold.
“Well I wasn't surprised, but I am pretty happy about it,” says Carving Works’ Tom Stefan.
