Crafts, nonprofits, and more available at First Friday
Ashley Whitaker
Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: Arts & Life
First Friday draws hundreds of people downtown every month, and street vendors are raking in the benefits.
According to the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta Web site, First Friday sees an annual attendance of 120,000. One of the biggest draws of this monthly event seems to be the street vendors that collect along Broad Street in an effort to sell their wares and promote services within the community.
During October's First Friday, there was a wide array of vendors ranging from artists, jewelry crafters, nonprofit organizations and even food vendors. Heather Kinlaw and Amanda Rasch, both of Augusta, came downtown to sell their collections of art work, hand crafted jewel boxes and jewelry. Kinlaw was fairly new to the First Friday game.
"I did a First Friday a few years back, but it's been awhile and all of my stuff has kind of accumulated," Kinlaw said. "Amanda really pushed me to do it and now we're out here…doing it."
Rasch admitted to encouraging Kinlaw to join her at First Friday.
"I'm the Bill Gates behind it all," Rasch said.
Kinlaw said that registering to serve as a vendor at First Friday was simple. The application is on the Georgia Council of the Arts Web Site. Kinlaw explained that each vendor has to pay $25 per First Friday event and that vendors do not pay until the day of the event.
"We have four artists with us," Kinlaw said. "We split the cost between us."
Rasch said that she and her fellow vendors plan to keep their booth at every First Friday up until March.
Other vendors come to First Friday as more experienced sellers. This was the case with Bill Kubicz and Donna Durry, a duo from Vancouver that specialize in jewelry crafted out of oyster shells and liquor bottles decoratively stuffed with Christmas lights. Kubicz explained that this was his debut First Friday and he was not sure of what to expect.
"I've come to venues like this before and had great business," he said. "Other times people come out but they don't have the money."
According to the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta Web site, First Friday sees an annual attendance of 120,000. One of the biggest draws of this monthly event seems to be the street vendors that collect along Broad Street in an effort to sell their wares and promote services within the community.
During October's First Friday, there was a wide array of vendors ranging from artists, jewelry crafters, nonprofit organizations and even food vendors. Heather Kinlaw and Amanda Rasch, both of Augusta, came downtown to sell their collections of art work, hand crafted jewel boxes and jewelry. Kinlaw was fairly new to the First Friday game.
"I did a First Friday a few years back, but it's been awhile and all of my stuff has kind of accumulated," Kinlaw said. "Amanda really pushed me to do it and now we're out here…doing it."
Rasch admitted to encouraging Kinlaw to join her at First Friday.
"I'm the Bill Gates behind it all," Rasch said.
Kinlaw said that registering to serve as a vendor at First Friday was simple. The application is on the Georgia Council of the Arts Web Site. Kinlaw explained that each vendor has to pay $25 per First Friday event and that vendors do not pay until the day of the event.
"We have four artists with us," Kinlaw said. "We split the cost between us."
Rasch said that she and her fellow vendors plan to keep their booth at every First Friday up until March.
Other vendors come to First Friday as more experienced sellers. This was the case with Bill Kubicz and Donna Durry, a duo from Vancouver that specialize in jewelry crafted out of oyster shells and liquor bottles decoratively stuffed with Christmas lights. Kubicz explained that this was his debut First Friday and he was not sure of what to expect.
"I've come to venues like this before and had great business," he said. "Other times people come out but they don't have the money."
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