Old time fishing lures like your grandfather used to make are John Wilkinson’s specialty.
Wilkinson, who lives in Washington, Ill., crafts the wooden lures that will be among the many items for sale at the 2016 La Grange Craft Fair to be held July 9 and July 10.
“I hope people will use my lures to fish. But most of them end up the mantel,” said Wilkinson, who makes the lures on a lathe. His wife, Gina, paints them.
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Wilkinson’s lures are replicas of ones made in the 1900s, he said.
His craft reflects a trend among consumers who want hand-made, unusual items, said Nancy Cummings, director of the La Grange Business Association, which sponsors the fair.
“People appreciate the time and customization that goes into making a piece made by hand,” she said. “There is also a lot of curiosity about the process.”
Other items to be offered will include handmade jump ropes and three-string guitars made of cigar boxes.
“These are collector items and really unique gift items,” Cummings said.
This is the 42nd year that the craft fair has been held. The number of vendors this year is 200.
“It’s a long-standing tradition and it’s kind of a bustling street fair,” Cummings said.
Some vendors, like Wilkinson, have been coming for years. Others are new.
Cummings said they like to bring in new some new artisans every year so shoppers have new crafts, vendors and items to discover.
One of the new vendors is Kristina Joseph of La Grange Park. She will sell her photographs, which she shoots as she runs or walks in the La Grange and Chicago area. Friends who’ve seen her pictures have urged her to sell them.
“People say ‘your eye is amazing,'” she said. “Your color is surreal.”
Other items for sale at the fair will include paintings, yard art, handmade clothing and soaps.
The business association contracts with Craft Productions Inc. to organize the fair. Karen Yackley, owner of the company, agreed with Cummings that consumers, particularly millennials, want handmade goods.
“Millennials support the do-it-yourself movement and are buying items that are customized and unique,” she said. “We’ve noticed our shows are attracting younger customers, and now we target them through social media.”
Joseph is excited about bringing her photos to a wider audience.
“It’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s a pretty big deal for myself and my photos,” she said.
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At the fair
What: La Grange Craft Fair
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, July 10
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Location: La Grange Road, between Ogden and Cossitt avenues and west on Harris Avenue to Ashland Avenue
Parking: Free parking is available in the covered garage behind La Grange Village Hall, 53 S. La Grange Road and in the Cossitt Avenue School parking lot, 115 W. Cossitt Avenue.