Casa de Fruta Arts & Crafts Show

August 30-Sept 1  Hollister, CA

10021 Pacheco Pass Hwy, Hollister, CA

A Nice Place for a Knapp!!

Saturday, Aug 30. Craft Fair held in a parking lot at the Casa de Fruta, along highway 152, between Gilroy and Los Banos,  The weather had been quite warm during the week, but cooled down quite a bit by the weekend,  Mild weather, sunny and a few clouds in the sky; occasional breezes.  There were approximately 35 booths and the crowds seemed somewhat small,  There were a number of tour buses that stopped, but I doubt if the people inside did anything more than use the rest room facilities, 

Sales were slow for virtually everybody and it appeared as though mostly older adults stopped by, with a few younger people.  Very few children.

Sunday, Aug 31.  A little cooler in the morning.  But it was actually refreshing when you think how stinking hot it was during the middle of the week.  I'll take it.  Surprisingly, you had quite a few people there late in the morning, not typical of what it is like on a usual Sunday at a different event.  However, one must realize that this is a 'tourist stop.' and most of the people are on their way East to the coast or inland to Highway 5 and beyond (mountains, Yosemite, L.A., etc.)  Very good turnout all day long, actually.  However, we are still haunted by people who just do not want to buy and we can point our fingers at the rising costs of gas.

 There were a number of vendors who did make some money, but on the whole, not many vendors made much money.  Nothing we could do about it.  They came, we did not conquer!!!  Quite a few families with kids..so this must have been more of a family outing day.  Fewer tour busses, though.  Matter of fact, I really didn't notice as many tour busses as there have been in the past, as the tourist industry is hard hit by the economy, etc.

Monday, Sep 1

Nice weather.  A bit warmer than Sunday.  Late crowd (crowd? uh uh).  Parking lot between booths and restaurant virtually empty most of the AM.  Had probably 5-6 busses arrive before 1:00PM, but few people strolled through the booths.  Poor sales for us and not much better for most of the people.  We usually cater to the tourists, but this weekend was dismal.  Economy?  Gas prices?  I just don't know.  Lots and lots of touchers and grabbers. I haven't really had a good show here in many years and I keep asking myself...Why? 

OVERVIEW

This is a very nice setting for an event, with all the vendors clustered together in the parking lot.  Many years ago when we did this...like about 4200 days ago, this place looked quite different as they have used Mike's money for a lot of construction, which took place over the last several years.  We could rename the area where the booths are located "the Mike K___ Parking Lot' or we could have the Mike K___ Train Station.  Anyhow, years ago, there were booths all over the place, situated on both sides of the lagoon on the west side and up toward the front.  They have done away with the picnic tables, etc. but I don't think they liked the fact that lots of families were bringing food from home and eating it there. This is a good stopover for people traveling along highway 152, which has been improved also.  Weather can play a huge part in the success of the shows here, as they do get occasional rain in the spring, much warmer temps during the summer and an occasional stiff wind during the PM and late at night.  Whatever the case may be, there's a full house for just about every show here and a good assortment of merchandise that the vendors are selling.

As for Casa de Fruta, there are a number of business located on the property and you could easily spend a couple hours browsing around.  Loads of fruits, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, etc. in each of the shops.  I would believe that the ice cream must be pretty good, because I noticed a lot of people walking around eating it.  Many times I have bought food at the restaurant and it's been pretty good.