Vendors and crafters come from all over the country to sell their wares at the National Arts Festival, and many are keen for a recovery in profits after finding the last two years to be somewhat tepid.
Vendors and crafters come from all over the country to sell their wares at the National Arts Festival, and many are keen for a recovery in profits after finding the last two years to be somewhat tepid.
One clothing seller at the Village Green market, Howard Krut, said this is his seventh year selling his clothing line Ginistar at the Festival and he feels the past two years haven't been great for business. He blames the 2010 World Cup and general price hikes for his disappointing sales.
Kurt is optimistic however, and hopes to reach his daily sales target of R8 000 and R80 000-R90 000 by the end of the Festival. His confidence comes from his new stock of what he describes as fashionable and colourful clothes that offer something different from franchise clothing shops.
Local shops are trying to keep up with the needs of ready-to-spend bargain hunters too, and Mr Price clothing store manager Gershon du Plessis said they keep in the loop by focusing on current trends.
And seeing as the standard dress code at this time of year is keeping as warm as possible, knit-wear garments, jeans and boots helped the shop achieve 106% of their sales target set for 29 June 2012, du Plessis said.
At another local fashion hotspot, Debra Stein of the indie fashion boutique Under the Arch feels that the “competition is good, it keeps us on our toes”. She said the shop's prices haven't changed during the Festival and she's seen some regulars purchasing an item or two, even though there are many other places to shop at the moment.
And of course another business associated with keeping people warm is doing well this year too. Riaan van Wyk of the Vineyard Liquor Store in Pepper Grove Mall is reaping in the benefits and told Grocott's Mail that “last year’s Fest was fairly quiet, but this year business is good”.
Popular drinks have been rose wine and ciders, he said, with Black Label being the best-selling beer so far. But due to the good weather in the first half of this Festival, Rat and Parrot bar tender Marcelle Huber says they're missing out.
According to her, Festival-goers are lured to beer stands that allow them to be drink and be mobile at the same time. But anything could happen in the next six days, that may or mat not justify the countless people who have come to Grahamstown to profit from these unpredictable 11 days.
•The writers are part of the Future Journalist Programme of 2012, a Highway Africa project at the Rhodes University School of Journalism Media Studies.
