But when the bunny takes a breather at the end of the month, Bettinger will remain busy decorating 500 wooden eggs in her Bothell basement. They're part of her crafts business, a hobby Bettinger, like dozens of other craftspeople, has turned into a job. I call it my hobby. I would do it even if I didn't have somewhere to sell it. Each store individually is up some 30 to 40 percent.
Demand is strong for booth space at arts fairs and smaller church or school bazaars.
The number of vendors at the Shoreline Arts Festival, for example, has risen each year since the mid-May event started a decade ago, said Director Ros Bird. Though November and December are the busiest times of year for neighborhood craft bazaars, late spring and early summer is the community arts-fair season. Statewide, there are nearly 400 bazaars and arts fairs. Next month's popular University District Street Fair will feature more than 500 booths, many of them set aside for craftspeople eager to sell their items. Even at year-round crafts destinations, such as the bright red Kent Public Market in the historic Railroad Avenue North building, Executive Director Linda Johnson has no problem filling 40 booths.