Heart of Broken Arrow Arts and Crafts Fair

This is a great opportunity to support local artists and businesses as well as to see some of the finest handmade arts and crafts items Green Country has to offer.

By: Joshua Danker-Dake | Category: Gifts & Decor | Issue: September 2010

Laurann Farris (center) of the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association and vendors Jessica Robinson and Shelly Johnson in front of a faux leather wall at Your Design.

On Saturday, September 18, the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association is hosting its Heart of Broken Arrow Arts and Crafts Fair at Central Park Community Center (1500 S. Main). This is a great opportunity to support local artists and businesses as well as to see some of the finest handmade arts and crafts items Green Country has to offer.

“We always make sure we have a wide selection of handmade items available,” says Laurann Farris, the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association’s chair for the Arts and Crafts Fair. This year’s fair will feature about 75 vendors, who will be offering babies’ and children’s items, toys, quilted and cloth items, men’s outdoor items, artwork and photography, and signage, furniture and garden items. Here’s a small sample of the vendors:

• Shelly Johnson, owner and creator of Wood N-Stuff. Johnson does woodworking and wood-burning art, and makes and decorates an assortment of boxes, toys, plaques, pots, magnets and more. “I got a wood-burning kit for Christmas when I was a kid,” she says. “It’s been a hobby of mine ever since. I love it.”

• Jessica Robinson of One Sky Studio. Robinson offers sewn, knitted and quilted home goods and accessories, including pillows, bracelets, placemats, and baby accessories. This is Robinson’s first craft show. “I sew in my free time,” she says. “I eventually accumulated too much stuff – I couldn’t give enough of it away.”

Pillows made by Jessica Robinson of One Sky Studio.

• Amelia’s Tutu Boutique (www.ameliastutuboutique.com), which offers customized tutus, pixie and butterfly wings, tiaras, purses, wands and other accessories for little girls.

Proceeds from the Arts and Crafts Fair benefit the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association, which was founded to promote community spirit and vitalize downtown Broken Arrow. Community support enables the association to put on other events throughout the year, such as November’s annual Fun and Games on Main event. The association has also provided holiday lights for members’ storefronts and banners for the Main Street light posts, and has supported several Broken Arrow charities.

The Arts and Crafts Fair is free to attend. “We just want to introduce people to Main Street,” Farris says. “We’ve got two miles of great local businesses here. And the Central Park Community Center is a great location. It has a kids’ area and plenty of parking, and of course everything is air conditioned.” Food will be available for purchase throughout the day, but breakfast promises to be worth getting up for, Farris says. “The kitchen in the community center has been remodeled, and we’re going to have some home cooking this year, with homemade biscuits and gravy.”

On the day of the Arts and Crafts Fair, many Main Street businesses will be holding sidewalk sales, and the Farmers’ Market will be going on as usual. One of the businesses participating in the sidewalk sale is Your Design (211 S. Main), which offers unique antiques and artwork. They’re also a custom frame shop, and they offer interior consulting services.

The Arts and Crafts Fair is Saturday, September 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Park Community Center. For more information, contact the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association. You can visit them on the web at www.brokenarrowdowntown.com.