The GLAM Craft Show, originally known as the Gainesville Local Art Mart, will be returning to downtown after four years - and people will not only be able to get to it easier, they'll be able to get in for free, as well.
In previous years, GLAM was held near the airport and in smaller spaces downtown. This year Kim Kruse, founder of GLAM, said the show partnered with the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency, which waived the entrance fee.
In the past, the show cost about $3.
The show will be held Dec. 6. It consists of artists and crafters who gather to showcase and sell their work, and has become a venue for unique pieces, Kruse said. She said over 70 vendors come to show off their work.
Nathalie McCrate, a project manager for the CRA, said the CRA partnered with GLAM to help demonstrate uses for its new venue, the Power District. It consists of 17 acres of warehouses.
When looking for ways to use the space, McCrate said the CRA thought GLAM would be the perfect fit.
"[It was] an event that embodies the quirkiness and character of what we hope the Power District will evolve to be," McCrate said.
Kruse came up with idea to produce GLAM when she attended a craft show as a jewelry maker in Sarasota in 2006. It was her very first one, and the first one in held in Florida, she said.
"[I felt] that Gainesville would benefit from an Indie craft show," she said.
So, she brought it to Gainesville in 2009.
Artist Cindy Steiler said this is the first time she will be attending GLAM downtown. Steiler has been a vendor with the show for four years and sells trinkets such as embroidered deer antlers.
Kruse said having the show downtown also allows cyclists to attend. In previous years, when GLAM was held at the University Air Center near the airport, some people couldn't come. Bringing it downtown makes it more accessible, she said.
The show will also use the extra space downtown by including food trucks, more vendors and creative activities for kids. GLAM will be held on December 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kruse said she's excited to meet other artists and and crafters who share her love of creating.
"(It) has that hometown feel," Kruse said. "It's like a big block party."