Gift Show

This was my first year attending the New York International Gift Show. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. I went with a friend who, like myself, had an interest in quality handmade goods. The show is enormous, occupying several levels at the Jacob Javits Center, two ship terminals and the Metropolitan Pavilion, a total of 660,000 square feet. There are over 2,800 vendors drawing 43,000 visitors from around the world. To do a thorough job of perusing the entire show would take several days. The breadth and quality of merchandise was amazing - there are several divisions: Tabletop & Housewares, Floral & Garden, Just Kidstuff and Handmade. We were particularly impressed with the Handmade division which itself occupied several areas. Vendors in this division are juried to get in and we were told there is now a 3-year waiting list. The levels of craftsmanship and creativity were amazing, surprising given that this a commercial gift show and not a high end arts and crafts show (which I usually find disappointing). The photo was taken from the Galleria section, where a vendor was nice enough to give me permission to shoot from his booth. This show is to the trade only - consumers are not allowed in ...