The annual WSU Spring Family Arts and Crafts Fair will be returning to the Beasley Coliseum this Friday and Saturday.
Hosted by DLG Enterprises, the Arts and Crafts Fair originated in the early 1990s when Don and Linda Gallagher, as well as their daughter Ginger Gallagher, came up with the idea to start their own arts and crafts fair.
“Our first spring show was in the basement of the community Congregational Church and it was a huge success,” Linda said. “We were way too successful to stay there so we talked with the coliseum director, we made a deal and we’ve been there ever since.”
The Gallagher family puts on two arts and crafts shows a year, once in the fall and once in the spring.
This year, they have invited 30 more vendors to the event and reached about the maximum allowed in Beasley Coliseum.
There will be more vendors than ever with over 100 vendors for visitors to choose from — the most in the fair’s history, Gallagher said.
“We’re always reconnecting with vendors that we’ve had and enjoyed in the past and then we have quite a number of new vendors,” Gallagher said.
The Arts and Crafts Fair will feature wall art, woodwork, jewelry, vintage clothing, gourmet foods and many new options, Gallagher said.
“We also want to see what the top-selling items are,” Gallagher said. “I watch everything and I like to see what’s on trend, some of our vendors are very good with keeping up with trends.”
Lindsay Myron, Smoot’s Flavor Farm owner and operator, will be selling jars of seasoning and tins of tea.
Myron said the farm’s Italian, Greek and za’atar seasonings are really popular. Za’atar is a wild herb from Palestine that the farm has gotten to grow in Pullman as an annual, mixed with sesame seeds, salt and more.
Myron said she also enjoys talking about how the farm grows, what it grows and what it ends up producing.
“It’s my first market of the year but I love talking to loyal customers and seeing new customers,” Myron said. “It’s fun to build on those relationships and interact with people and get feedback.”
The craft fair will be from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free for all patrons.
“We have so much we’re going to show this weekend and we encourage anyone to come,” Gallagher said.
