Vendors and Merchants at a Medieval/Renaissance Faire

Over the past several posts, we have reviewed over lot of material about what to see at a medieval faire. We have visited singers, entertainers, and warriors in these reviews, now it is time to look at vendors.

Some of these merchants at these faires gather products at whole sale to offer them to you. Others craft and create their goods. Either way, these vendors will provide you a wonderful opportunity to purchase some great goods.

Vendors: The following are some of the merchants I have seen at the faires I attend:

Bushor Photography- Creators of prints from fantasy to the dramatic. Check out their website for more information and to view their wonderful work.

Made by Hand Leather- Caleb Hand is the vendor and does many of these faires from his location from Landonderry, NH.

The Grinning Dwarf- Run by Robert and Katie Pyle, they are a wonderful vendor who puts out some great products.

Tatterdemalion- I encourage you, that if you do see her at one of these faires to check her out.  Her products are very reasonably priced.

Tintagels Gate- He sells some wonderful items, and at a more than reasonable price, some of his items are hand-made and if you are lucky you can see him work at his forge.

Festival Fotos -  You can wear a costume of yours, or put on of theirs and get a wonderful souvenir of your visit to the faire.

Medieval Maiden Soaps -  They produce some wonderful, unique hand crafted soaps with no artificial coloring.

Charter Oak Leather- Maker of some great leather products.  He also makes drums through his other company CT PR Percussion

Knightly Endeavors - His products are very good quality, and at a very reasonable price.  He attends numerous faires, so make sure you visit them.

The Tepee Store (AKA the ladies of the three pointed house)- You will see this vendor at many faires and festivals in the central, southern areas of New York State. The teepee store itself is a roadside attraction located on Route 20 between Cherry Valley and Sharon Springs, NY.  This store is shaped (as the name describes) like a tepee.  If you are in the area, or see them at a fair, make sure to check them out.

Teardrop Creations- Check out their website, they produce some beautiful and unique jewelry and even decorative armor.

Diddlelydeets Scents- Sell some wonderful products, from medieval items to incense. I enjoy visiting their tent any chance I get.

The Costumer- This is a store (they have two stores in the Albany area) where I have gone into numerous times over the past several years.  They sell some great costumes and Halloween supplies (not to mention all the other holidays).

Krebby’z Kyd’z - Maker of whimsical gifts suitable for all ages. You really need to check out her products to appreciate them.

Lusty Leather-Another great vendor offering some great leather products.

Kimberly’s Creatures- Producer of some great creatures made of cloth and papier-mâché.  You must see these in person to truly appreciate how great they look.

Tandy Leather- This is my go to for supplies for my leather armor.  I have seen 2 local stores, one at 6700 Thompson Rd, Syracuse, NY,  the other store located at 119 Webster Square Road, Berlin, CT.  Check out the Tandy Leather website to find a store near you.

Just in Tyme Boots- Seller of some great boots at a reasonable price.  You can find the right boots and shoes to wear for Medieval to Steampunk faires.

Green River Woodcrafts- A woodworker that sells some excellent wood turned bowls.  He also creates some awesome handmade long and re-curve bows.

Enchanted Images-Here, you can wear one of their costumes, and get your picture taken as a souvenir of the fair.

The Warlords Crusade Armory was an excellent vendor.  Todd Silber is an outstanding craftsman who makes incredible leather armor and products

Photography by Donatello- Creates some very interesting digital art. This art concentrates in fantasy, medieval and gothic themes.  Please go to his website to see how truly unique and wonderful his work is

Emazanti Creations- A vendor of shirts, tunics, vests, trousers and accessories.

Peace Fur- Many people oppose real fur because of the way the animals are raised and killed in captivity, or trapped or hunted in the wild. Peace Fur has a unique way of obtaining their furs; they get these furs from animals who were killed by traffic on roads.

Cornerstone Creations- A great vendor selling gnomes and gargoyles.

Adventure Tomes-Handcrafted leather-bound tomes (book) for the adventurer in all of us.

Sew Sew Busy- A great group who make and sell some wonderful medieval clothing. You must check them out.

Dark Rain Design- To say this intricate wind-up toys are not impressive would be an understatement. I could not believe what they did when they moved.

Authors: Many authors and publishers, particularly those who write medieval, renaissance based books will set up a tent at one of the festivals, here is a list of those I visited.

Imminent Banter Publishing, LLC- Is a new small publishing business. They have started out seeking new authors that wish to get their work published. For disclosure, I am stating I have been in contact with them to republish my novel, “Legend of the Mystic Knights”. Check out their current published books on their website.  The people there are very knowledgeable and dedicated to the craft of publishing novels and comic books

At the Mayfaire on the Green there were several authors who attended the faire. W.K. Pomeroy, James McNaily, and JordanElizabeth.  I would ecourage you to check out their sites and purchase some of their wonderful novels.

Keith W. Willis- Author of the novel Traitor Knight.  It was a pleasure to meet and to speak with him. Check out his work and also his blog.

Michael Bailey author of Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins, The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot: Assassins Brawl, and Action Figures – Issue Two: Black Magic Women.

Blacksmiths: Many vendors, also are re-enactors or performers and sell their product at the faire; one of the major examples of this are blacksmith.

Norðrislá- a wonderful blacksmith that produces some nice Norse inspired ironworks.

Aggressive Metalwork- A great blacksmith which makes some awesome artwork, tools and knives.

Theodore Hinman-  I have seen this blacksmith at several faires, and he is one of the best out there.  His skill is unmatched, and you will learn much watching him.

Creations (formerly known as Starefire Swords) was a blacksmith I visited during the faire. There is nothing as satisfying to me, seeing someone keeping this art alive. They offer some very detailed swords and daggers.

Iron Grove Forge-. He was a very talented blacksmith, who took the time to educate anyone who asked about this skill.

Food and Drink: When you are at a faire, you will get thirsty and hungry.  The list below are some of the food/drink vendors I have seen at the faires.

Sometimes the faires has a physical structure to serve food.  An example is at the Massachusetts Renaissance Faire (or larger faires which have built structures) which has the The Red Dragon Tavern and Dining Room.  This is where you can purchase your food and have a nice place to sit and eat. Sometimes there will be musicians who will entertain you while you eat.

Helderberg Meadworks- They are a local producer of a very good-quality mead. Every year I try to buy a pint of mead from them at the NY Capitol District Renaissance Festival . 

The Boar’s Den- I bought a Boar Sandwich (pulled pork), they have the other traditional medieval food like turkey drumsticks etc

Dragon Ice Cream Stand- Dressed in dragon attire, they disperse some refreshing ice cream products. They are a staple at many of the festivals I attend.

Cliff’s Smokin’ BBQ-- A great place to grab some food and drink.

Indian Ladder Farms- Yes, the site of the New York Capitol Region District Renaissance Festival itself.  If you get a chance check out their website, or visit them in your nest trip to the Albany NY area. They have some of the best local grown products in the area.

So we have now come to the end of our reviews of medieval/renaissance faires, entertainers, re-enactors, combat stage performers and finally merchants and vendors.

I apologize to many I have listed, which I did not have a website or a photo to display.  No matter, if I did, or did not, I would recommend you check out each and everyone of them at an event near you!

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W.A.Rusho is a professional wrestler, author and historian. Contact him on his website, or via email.