The crafts fair will give artisans a chance to sell their wares on the Rockaway boardwalk between Beach 80th and Beach 86th streets. Local officials hope to copy the success the fair has had in Long Beach.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, August 8, 2014
DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSA crafts fair will be held between Beach 80th and Beach 86th streets in Rockaway on Aug. 9th and 10th. The fair is another way to help revitalize the Rockaway economy and lure more visitors to the area.
Rockaway is getting crafty.
More than 40 local vendors will sell their handmade wares on the beach this weekend during the first crafts fair to hit the boardwalk.
“We want to prove that Rockaway is a viable tourist destination,” said community activist Joe Hartigan, who approached the city Parks Department about the fair after seeing a successful version of it on Long Island.
The fair will stretch from Beach 80th St. to Beach 86th St. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Offerings include handblown glass figurines, designer jewelry, household decor and clothing, said organizer Alan Finchley of Long Island Street Fairs, a Rockaway native who has been sponsoring street fairs for 38 years.
“Everything is either handmade or handpicked,” Finchley said. “Our vendors don’t compete with local stores and the malls.
Surfers, foodies and families have flocked to the beach this summer even though large sections of the boardwalk torn away by Hurricane Sandy have not yet been replaced.
The peninsula’s economy is still struggling to recover. Summertime events are a vital way of drawing visitors to the area who may also shop and eat at local restaurants, officials said.
“They made a big push to get local vendors,” said NYC Parks Rockaway Administrator Jill Weber. “We have been wanting to do something like this for a while.”
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