We may be better rested than we were two weekends ago, but we’re no less excited! We had an incredible two days, and we’re bursting with so much love and appreciation for everyone who helped make this year’s event such a success.
We’re now in our third year, and growth has been more-than-steady. This year, we added about 15 additional vendors, and shopper attendance was up almost 40% from last year—more than 2,500 people came through our doors this year to shop, hang out, and support local and regional artists, designers, makers, craftspeople, vintage collectors, and artisanal food purveyors!
Shoppers came from near (all over the Hudson Valley) and far (from Manhattan, Brooklyn, NJ, CT, RI, PA…), choosing to purchase handcrafted gifts from makers and small businesses, rather than at the malls or from huge online retailers. They RAVED about the talented and diverse collection of vendors and their unique, high-quality offerings. Many vendors reported that their sales at Hullabaloo were record-breaking, many had to skip the after party on Saturday night to make more merchandise for Sunday, and a nearby bank’s ATMs even ran out of cash (coincidence? We think not!). Everything went off without a hitch and the consensus seems to be that everyone—vendors, shoppers, and sponsors—had a terrific time! The response from the community, our sponsors, and the local, regional, and lifestyle/design media has been overwhelming.
Hullabaloo has quickly become “a thing” that has taken off and surpassed our expectations. We started this to bring something to Kingston that would showcase area makers and introduce the community to the talent in our midst. We wanted to create a hip, festive atmosphere that would encourage connections and commerce, offering a unique experience and an alternative to malls and big box stores. We’ve felt for a long time that Kingston was on the verge of becoming a hub for culture and the arts and wanted to do our part to nudge it along. We seem to have gotten the timing right, being both propelled by the renaissance our beloved city is experiencing, and doing our small part to help it build momentum.
We’re very proud of what this has become, and know that we couldn’t be on this wild ride without so many people who help make this a success, and a lot of fun. We are bursting with excitement, appreciation, and love for every single one of you who helped us make this event truly unique, and hugely successful.
Special thanks to:
· Peter Demuth Photography – Peter and Peg ran the photo booth with both mad photography skills and tireless enthusiasm, snapping almost 2,000 photos, available on their Facebook. They even rousted a photogenic grizzly bear out of hibernation to loosen up the crowd.
