SEBASTIAN — The first show of the season brought several hundred shoppers and browsers to Riverview Park Saturday, including those looking for Halloween décor in time for the fall holiday.
Leah and Dwain Byrd, of Sebastian, drove by Riverview Park and noticed the craft show, so they decided to take a look, they said.
“It happens rarely,” Dwain said of having a Saturday off with his wife.
“We love the Halloween stuff,” Leah said, adding that it’s their favorite holiday.
They stopped at KooKoo Krafts and picked up a “spider” that can hang from just about anywhere.
“It’s really cute,” Leah said of the spider and the craft show.
Terri and Carl Stalnut, owners of KooKoo Krafts, said this is the start of their second season displaying their wares at the Sebastian Craft Club show.
“It’s going good,” Terri said of the season’s first show. “I love it.”
“It’s a beautiful day,” she added.
Shopping friends Stephanie McGraw and Mary Ann Everington, both of Malabar, made the drive to the craft show.
“They’re good,” McGraw said of the crafts available to take home. She, herself, had a couple small bags in hand, including one containing a beaded necklace.
“The price is great,” she said, adding that she picked it up – for her.
“If someone else wants it, they can come out” to the show, McGraw said.
Everington walked away from the show wearing a new pair of ribbon earrings.
“They weigh nothing,” she said.
McGraw said they come to the craft show a couple times each season.
“It has a nice variety of items,” she explained.
Sebastian Craft Club Karen Lampiasi said despite the crowd’s turnout, sales appeared to be low.
“People aren’t buying as much,” she said, explaining that it could be due to a couple reasons – the economy for one, the start of the season for another.
Some browsers could have been out getting a sense of what’s available and could come back to a later show with a particular piece in mind.
Lampiasi said that once season gets into full swing – come November – shoppers will have plenty to choose from.
“We should have some really good stuff,” she said, noting that the shows in November and December are prime times to find gifts for the holidays. “It’s a good show.”
The Sebastian Craft Club has been going strong for about 25 years and has 52 members representing about 90 people.
“There’s still room,” Lampiasi said of memberships.
The club meets on the third Tuesday of the month, September through April, at the United Methodist Church on Main Street, Sebastian, from 1 to 2 p.m.
Sebastian Craft Club shows at Riverview Park will be held with the following schedule – a rain date is set for the day following the scheduled show, with the exception of December, which has no rain date:
- Nov. 12
- Dec. 3 & 4
- Jan. 7
- Feb. 4
- March 3
- April 7
- May 5
