The 44th Juried Craft Fair was held at the Greenbelt Community Center the weekend of December 5 to 6, welcoming over 70 crafters selling handmade goods. The craft fair brings residents together to start their holiday shopping. The craft fair is juried, so vendors must apply, present their work and be granted a position at the fair.
Vendors came from as close as Greenbelt and as far away as Pennsylvania, selling a variety of goods including pottery, knit wear, clothing, soaps, lotions, toys, stuffed animals, books and more.
This year the vendors were spread throughout four rooms on the first floor of the Community Center. Each room had multiple vendors, with tables set around the edges of the room. The main auditorium had four rows of vendors and lively background music.
Naima Dozier, owner of Fearless Threads, returned for a second year to sell her clothing and accessories. She said she liked the organization of this year’s festival and intends to keep coming back for as long as possible.
Greenbelt Pottery Group, a collective of potters who work in the studios at the Community Center, is a mainstay of the craft fair. The group is comprised of eight different potters, including three emerging artist potters, who sell a variety of clay pottery pieces. Their work filled one of the largest booths at the fair.
Lola Skolnik, a longtime member of the group, said “We’ll definitely be back,” at future craft fairs. She said, “I love it, personally, because I’ve lived in Greenbelt for 38 years and seeing your friends and neighbors at the craft sale is really fun.”
Brandi Fields) of College Park came to the fair for the first time this year. She said the fair is a “great place to get some great gifts for a lot of family members.”
Pauletta Riley also attended the fair for the first time this year. She purchased stuffed animals from Creative Expressions owner Loretta Waldron for her niece and granddaughter and appreciates the community nature of the event. She looks forward to coming back in the future.
Chris Casey of Greenbelt said that he always comes because, “It’s absolutely fabulous and a great collection of wonderful artists.” He also said he believes the festival “gets better every year.”
Les and Lynn Hawkins returned to the craft fair this year after missing recent fairs. They said they came back to browse and do some holiday shopping for coworkers.