FREDERICKTOWN — Robin Dailey has been involved with the Fredericktown Tomato Show for over 10 years, and is in charge of the arts and crafts show that will take place Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the square in Fredericktown. Dailey said that approximately 40 crafters have reserved spaces for the two days.
According to Dailey, most of the crafters who will be part of the show do arts and crafts as a hobby, but a few of the merchants at the show are in the arts and crafts business full time. Ten-by-10-foot booths were reserved at a cost of $45 for the two days; a one-day spot cost $40.
Many of the crafters involved with the arts and crafts show have been involved for multiple years, and, according to Dailey, there is good representation from local and regional artisans.
“I have some [merchants] from Columbus and Mansfield, and there are a lot of locals,” she said.
Max Huffman, with Maximum Services of Fredericktown, will be participating in the arts and crafts show, and has been going to regional shows for the last seven years. However, he has been creating his products for a much longer period of time.
“It’s been 15 years making stuff,” said Huffman, referring to his creations. “We do a lot of Americana ... crafts.”
He also said his designs feature farm implement and Ohio State themes.
Huffman said he and his wife, Jennifer, used to participate in up to 15 regional arts and crafts shows a year, but some of the shows have recently ceased operations. However, he still participates in a number of shows every year.
“I’d say [I participate in] an average of 10 to 11 a year,” he said.
Huffman said he got into crafts because he enjoyed designing his creations, but he and his wife operate their craft sales as a business to make a little money, even though both also have full-time jobs.
“We run it as business; we try to make a little bit, not an extreme amount, but we try to make enough to make it worthwhile,” said Huffman. “I put hours and hours and hours into building this stuff. I just enjoy designing and building stuff.”
R.T. Mellor is from the Mansfield area, and will also be on the square selling his wares. He sells bird houses made of old barn siding and decorates the front of them with metal cut-outs; he’s been making the birdhouses for 15 years.
Mellor said he can make one of his birdhouses in about one hour if he makes several of them at once, to save time.
“I do them like a production line; I do several of the same at a time. It would be like an hour and a half probably if I did them one at a time,” said Mellor.
Mellor said he considers it a hobby rather than a business.
“I just enjoy doing it,” he said.
Mellor began making birdhouses for family members, then expanded from that to sell his crafts at several regional shows per year.
“You start doing them for your own family, and then other family members want them, too, so it kind of snowballs,” said Mellor.
However, Mellor said he has sold fewer and fewer of this products over the years at the Tomato Show because the visitors there already own one of his creations.
“I’ve been there a number of years, and as the years go on, you sell less and less because the same people turn up,” said Mellor. “I sell enough to make it worthwhile, but it’s not really a money-making thing. I’m helping support them.”
