Renegade Holiday Craft Fair - Chicago 2010

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We trudged through the snow today to go into the city to the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse for the annual Holiday Renegade Craft Fair.  Nat's mom and sister came along and we made a day of it.

I have to be a bit honest about it:  I really, really want to love Renegade.  In fact, last year, we had a great time, bought LOTS of gifts, and swore that we'd never miss it.

But this year?  Meh.  At least parking (for us) wasn't terrible.  We didn't have to circle for 30 minutes - just took us about 5 minutes to find a spot.   From there, the fair - while having some great vendors/products - was just simply too crowded to be fun.  Perhaps it was the time went (2ish in the afternoon), but we really couldn't get too close to any of the tables.  In the end, we only bought one thing (gift tags), and that really is  a shame.  Maybe the vendors like a full house?  But...I'm guessing they don't.  There has to be some operational study done to figure out what the maximization of sales would be.  I would think that today's crowd was not optimal.
Are we going back next year?  We sure are.  I just hope the Renegade folks either move to a larger venue or figure out a way to thin the crowds a bit.

Comments

  1. NatalieDecember 5, 2010 at 10:41 PM

    We totally parked in an illegal spot though! It was zoned. We're just lucky we didn't get a ticket. They need more space for vendors, a parking lot and maybe a third day to thin the crowds a bit. I am still bummed about our experience.

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