GOOD TURN OUT FOR ANNUAL NEW CITY STREET FAIR

BY BRIAN EDSALL

 Main Street, New City was brimming with the sound of live music, the smell of food, and the sight of arts and crafts on Sunday as Clarkstown welcomed the New City Street Fair, produced by the Woodwill Corporation.

The show hosted dozens of vendors, many of whom traveled from outside of Rockland County to be in attendance.

“I always attend this show,” said Frank Chen of Queens, NY. Chen proudly described the intricacy and quality of the puzzle boxes on display. “My friend has made these wooden puzzle boxes for over 10 years—they’re all hand crafted. They’re special items because of the unique style and quality.”

Gregory and Chanel Janvier of Jamaica, NY were selling handcrafted items as well. “We first tried local flea markets and we saw success, so we started going to bigger events such as this one,” said Gregory.

“We’re of Haitian descent, and wood carving is a popular craft there,” he explained. “My brother is a wood carver, so we decided to make something different, and we came up with these three-dimensional folding baskets.”

“Most people think these are trivets or hot plates when they first see them…We love seeing people’s reactions when it unfolds into a basket,” he added.

Balbir Singh, husband of Gigi Singh, traveled from Westchester, PA to assist his wife with her handcrafted jewelry business. “She has been making this jewelry since 2007,” said Singh. “Gigi is very artistic, and she developed her passion into something unique. You won’t find this jewelry or these designs anywhere else.”

“I helped her take photos and design her website, gigisingh.com,” continued Singh. “I just like to help her in any way I can.”

Despite the prominence of this show, vendors and guests agreed that the heat was a major deterrent to the number of people in attendance as the temperature reached well above 90 degrees.

“I came to see what they had here,” said Joan Baggott of New City. “It was tough with the heat, though; I feel sorry for the vendors who have been here since 10 a.m.”

“The show is always good, but today was a little too hot,” said Chen. “There were definitely less people today than usual.”

Even with the heat, vendors proudly displayed their arts and crafts to the public. They enthusiastically shared the stories with all who inquired of hard work, innovation and inspiration that went into their products.

Prior to the New City event, Woodwill had already produced street fairs in Nanuet and Nyack this year.

  new city event, New City Street Fair, new city vendors, Woodwill Corporation