After 28 years at the helm of Homespun, Carlyle's Judy Riddell has resigned from the board, but "is not abandoning [Homespun]."
"I will remain as an advisor," she says. "But this will be my last Homespun as a member of the board."
Riddell likens the 28-year-old success story to "a grown child. Homespun is 28 and actually there are grandchildren," she laughs. "There's the Show and Shine and the Quilt Show, which has grown so much since it started. It's time to stand back and embrace change and let someone else take the reins."
As Homespun founder, Riddell saw the necessity of the need for the festival to evolve in order to sustain lasting popularity.
"We like to keep it fresh and we keep evolving. From the start, we have tried to have 30 percent new vendors every year, so Homespun didn't become stale. We tried to look to the future and not hang onto an old idea, just because it worked or because it was easy."
"We don't take everyone, every year," says Riddell of the juried show. "We tried new ideas and always tried to look at Homespun with different eyes, in order to ramp it up. We wanted a quality feel for both exhibitors and customers. That's what we've always aimed for."
Homespun's exhibitors come from coast to coast. Although this year's edition doesn't include vendors from the Maritimes as it has in the past, 2014's exhibitors come from as far west as British Columbia and as far east as Ontario.
Riddell says Homespun was even remarked upon in Hawaii. "Our son and his wife were vacationing there, and another couple noticed his Saskatchewan Roughriders cap. Immediately after, the other pair said, 'Homespun!'"
Homespun's pioneering hospitality also extends to the event's exhibitors. "Exhibitors from across Canada have always remarked on our hospitality," says Riddell. "From the start, we have assigned volunteer hostesses who offer our vendors coffee, tea, or a cookie. More importantly, our volunteers can offer them a friendly face and a trusted person who can take over their booth if they just need a break. Imagine if you're by yourself and trying to run your booth. We've been doing it so long, it's just an essential part of our show," says Riddell. "But it's something our exhibitors always appreciate."
With an average of 4,000 shoppers per year, with approximately $180,000 spent at the show, and a clear economic benefit to the town, Riddell stresses that Homespun has "always been a community promotion, not a community fundraiser."
"I've been told that for every dollar spent at Homespun, five dollars are spent elsewhere within the town of Carlyle that weekend," says Riddell. "I was asked by town council if I could help with something that could draw people to town and promote Carlyle, and I'd like to emphasize that it wasn't only me. A lot of people are involved with Homespun. From the beginning, we intended to use Homespun as a vehicle to promote the town and its friendliness. We also intended to showcase it as a great place to live, whether people would like to raise a family here, retire here, or both."
"Homespun was never meant to be a fundraiser, but we save up what we can, and over the years, we've made donations to causes in Carlyle," says Riddell. "However, we've amassed $30,000 that we are holding in trust which we will donate to the Lion's Club to build a walking path in Lion's Park."
"It will be called 'The Homespun Walking Path,'" says Riddell. "People love to walk and like Homespun, it's something for people in our town to enjoy and another attraction for Carlyle."
