Chamber hosting Arts & Antiques Fair on Sunday

Art and antique lovers are invited to check out Hope’s Annual Arts & Antiques Fair on the town Square from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Offering a variety of art, crafts and antiques, organizers anticipate a turnout that surpasses last year’s crowd of more than 250 visitors.

“We encourage everyone to come out and walk through the booths,” says Jake Miller, president of the Hope Area Chamber of Commerce. “The fair is everything from collectibles to home décor and specific art pieces artists make. Everyone has their own niche.”

Antique collector David Miller has been a vendor at the fair since it began nearly a decade ago.

The Hope resident, who regularly offers a variety of items from primitive to antiques, as well as vintage to retro, has been collecting antiques for years and says many people who attend the fair may be browsing, but often feel an emotional connection to the items offered for sale.

“I like talking to the people because it is really cool to hear their stories,” he says. “And how pieces we have relate to their lives and how it makes them think back to happy memories.”

Hope resident Joanna Tucker is a landscape and nature photographer and one of nearly two dozen vendors returning to the Square this year.

“You really can find a whole lot of stuff from paintings and photography to crafts and antiques,” Tucker says. “It is steady traffic, but not overwhelming like what you see at Heritage Days.”

The fair’s popularity is certainly a testament to the growing recognition of Hope as a tourist destination, Jake Miller says.

“Everybody who comes and participates, whether they are a vendor or passerby, they always come back and invite a friend,” Jake Miller says. “So the word-of-mouth spreads well and it speaks highly about people recommending what is going on in Hope. It speaks to others praising Hope and wanting to come to the events like the local people do.”

With increased visitor traffic comes welcomed recognition for the participating artists, Tucker says. And that recognition is just one element she enjoys about the event.

“If I get a chance to pop around to the other booths, I check out the antiques too,” she says.

Over the four years that Tucker has been involved with the fair, she says the event’s importance to the Hope community continues to grow.

“We have a lot of artists and antique dealers in our area,” she says. “And it is a great avenue for them to share this with the community, as well as with those from outside the community.”

If there is any challenge when it comes to putting on an event like this one, it is getting the weather to cooperate, Jake Miller says.

“It was great weather, a beautiful day last year and we are hoping for that again,” Jake Miller says. “We are hoping to get more than 300 people through this year.”

The rain or shine event , which is sponsored by the Hope Area Chamber of Commerce, is not only an opportunity to check out pieces of unique art and antiques, but for those who regularly attend the event, like Jake Miller, it is a chance to catch up with old friends while making new ones.

“I really enjoy talking to the people who come in and seeing where they are from,” Jake Miller says. “And hearing about their history and why they are into antiques.”