Christmas craft fair benefits both shoppers and sellers

The annual Christmas craft sale at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design offers shoppers locally made ceramics, textiles and jewellery but for the college's students, itgivesthem a chance for real sales experience.

"My students are going to be out in the cold world next year and they're going to be working out of their studios and they need to start now to get their names out there and get people to recognize their art,"said Deborah Wybou, instructor of the entrepreneur class.

Wybou's entrepreneur class helped to plan and organize the three day craft fair. For students like Danika Vautour, it's a real hands on look into what they'll be doing on their own soon.

"For me, it's my last year and I'm going to start opening up my own studio," said Vautour, a ceramics student.

"I'm hoping to learn to communicate with customers and the kind of things they're looking for."

The crafts range from wool sheep ornaments, ornate bowls, cups, knitted hats and scarves and some stone-set necklaces.

Students learn art of selling

Some items took hours to make while some took weeks and the fair is the final step in the process for students.

"Most of my work is production that we've been working on for the first part of this year," said Chantal Polchies, a third year metal arts student.

"So I get to sell that and display that to the public now."

Polchies knows how to shape metals and work with precious stones but she wanted to learn the retail end of crafts business.

Erin Colwell, a textile student, thinks the fair offers exposure to their work. She took photography at the craft school before, and this is her first time her work has been featured in the fair.

]"We already have the base of people that usually come every year, so it's great to have an audience to get ourselves known out there. So making connections. Maybe selling some things," said Colwell.

As their teacher, Wybou is hoping some students get noticed by professional galleries and make an impression on customers.

"It's how people find you and learn about your work. And once they learn about your work they end up being loyal customers,"said Wybou.

The craft fair runs untilSundayand will includean open house from10 to 4 p.m.and includes a tour of the school.