2023 Calico Arts & Crafts Festival brings in thousands of people
MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) - With Christmas shopping already underway for many South Georgians, some were able to score locally crafted gifts this weekend in Moultrie.
The Calico Arts and Crafts Festival brought in thousands of visitors and vendors that have been successful over the years. WALB reports how this event adds more foot traffic to the Moultrie community.
The Calico Arts and Crafts Festival brings nearly 10,000 people each year from all over. The unique aspect of the festival is that all the vendors have handmade items.
“It has been overwhelming, we have seen so many people on Facebook commenting telling us oh my gosh so happy y’all are at Calico. We bought this and now they are ordering more offline. So it’s a great way to meet a lot of new people and a lot of people see your product,” Natalie Burton, Owner of Burton Brambles Coolidge, first-year vendor, said.
Olivia Griffin has been the festival’s coordinator for two years and she says every year draws a bigger crowd.
“A lot of good feedback from visitors coming from outside of Moultrie that maybe they’ve never been to Calico before and they just learned about it. Or they come every year as a tradition with their friends and family. And they love coming to spend the day seeing what crafters have to offer, and just visiting Moultrie for the day,” Griffin said.
Christine Lurie a new resident in town says she came to this event with an open mind and could feel the holiday spirit.
“Everyone is so kind and friendly and it’s just been a good experience. It kind of already feels like the holidays are happening and it’s just great community spirit,” Lurie said.
What started off as a hobby for Bull and Briar Founder Bryan Winn is now turning into multiple storefronts for his businesses across Southwest Georgia.
“Our first year in business I think we sold just as a hobby 50 belts and this year we will be close to 16,000 items shipped,” said.
The next Calico Arts and Crafts Festival will take place in the spring March 16-17, 2024.
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