NEWS Craft, food and wine holiday fair draws crowds of suppliers and shoppers in Potsdam | Business

Mike Stanford and Gretchen M. Anderson offering wine and spirits samples on behalf of Tug Hill Estate.

The company’s brand ambassador, Ms Anderson, said Tug Hill Estate in Lowville was a farm winery, a distillery, a cider and an events venue.

Ms Anderson said Tug Hill had been on a lot of shows lately. They played shows in Watkins Glen, Binghamton and Syracuse before coming to Potsdam.

Tug Hill Estate, which offers a popular Sunday brunch, has been in operation since 2007 but has been working with new owners in the past two years.

Ms Anderson said Tug Hill Estate had recently launched a brandy, rum and vodka range of spirits and would expand its cider offering.

In Potsdam, Mr. Stanford and Ms. Anderson aimed to sell some wine while promoting the company. Ms. Anderson said St. Lawrence County liquor stores are not yet carrying Tug Hill products.

Katherine Deuell from Potsdam presented her Winky Salts for the second time.

Her business was so new that she hadn’t built a network yet.

Ms Deuell said she is originally from Newfoundland, Canada, where seasoned salt is more common.

The artisan market is a great way to see what’s going on, she said, noting that her Tuscan blends are doing well.

“People in the northern countries are very supportive of local businesses,” she said.

When she tells customers she operates out of Potsdam, customers respond well.

Seasoned salt is great for finishing food and rimming cocktail glasses, she says.

Katie Schuler of Schuler Woodworks displayed some of her small items at her booth.

The former Parishville-Hopkinton art teacher creates custom furniture, artwork, jewelry, and functional home items.

She says her small objects are mostly made from wood hewn from her larger projects.

“I can’t throw them away or burn them,” she said.

She said the indoor craft market was her first indoor show. She will be doing her second in Syracuse next week.

She says she mostly uses maple or oak because of the local availability of the material.

Ms. Schuler said she’s not too fond of mass-produced objects, so she limits her small creations to pieces she can make from scrap.

Potential clients can contact Ms. Schuler for custom projects at schulerwood.com.

120 vendors used 150 booths on Saturday, said Brook Laws, director of the Tourist Chamber of Commerce.

The show returns to Maxcy Hall for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.