Jacqueline Hochheiser, Corporate Communications
For Wendy Hager, crafting isn’t just a hobby but a family legacy. In the early 90s, Wendy had gotten into cross stitching, a form of embroidery using “X” patterns to create designs and fill in color. The hobby grew to a regular activity during the time her mother worked for a medical company that dealt with pediatrics. The pediatric department was constantly hosting baby showers and Wendy would cross stitch baby bibs and sipper cups.
In 1998, Wendy and her family moved from Chicago to Missouri. To keep themselves busy, she and her mother continued to cross stitch. Wendy’s mother also crocheted towels and did plastic canvas (a form of cross stitching on canvas rather than fabric). With so many crafts building up, Wendy and her mother decided to start entering crafting shows to sell their wares.
To secure a spot at a show, any vendor is required to fill out an application, and in some instances, send pictures of their crafts. Once the application is approved, the vendor must pay the rental fee, which can vary anywhere from $10 to $150 depending on how big the show is and how many days the vendor wants to stay on site.
The mother-daughter duo’s first show was in Kimberling City where they set up a tent and tables at the venue and sold quite a bit of their products. From then on, they were hooked! Their next show was in Branson, which they did for five years consecutively, and they also added the Ozark Craft Show as well as one in Fair Grove. At this point, the duo had added an additional 10×10 foot tent to their shows because the volume and breadth of their crafts were growing. In 2009, tragedy struck and both Wendy’s parents passed away. Afterward, she tried doing a show on her own, but it proved to be too much to handle by herself so, she stopped for a time.
Eight years later in 2017, Wendy’s brother decided to join her in Missouri and left his home in Minesota with his wife, Tina. As it turned out, Wendy’s sister-in-law is also a talented crafter and started selling floral wreaths and baskets at a store called Reeds Spring until the woman that owned it closed. After that, the two decided to team up and start crafting together to participate in crafting shows once again.
Wendy’s diamond art in various forms (from left to right: Christmas decoration, clock and handbag).
Wendy and Tina began doing shows in Billings, the Ozark Community Center, as well as Fair Gove. While her sister-in-law’s floral crafts and wreaths expanded their offerings, Wendy also began to experiment with other art forms including fairy dioramas, Halloween themed crafts (skull mugs, wreaths etc.), Christmas themed crafts, snow globes, and painted birdhouses and other painted wooden crafts. But she found her true love when she discovered diamond art. This is very versatile art form that can be done on nearly anything by applying colored or clear faux diamonds in any pattern the crafter wishes. Wendy has used the diamonds to adorn anything from picture frames, to posters, nightlights, keychains and even clocks.
Fairy dioramas and thanksgiving baskets.
Heading into 2025, the duo has their sites set on a show in Willard on April 12th, as well as Fair Grove in September and Ozarks in December just in time for Christmas themed crafts. There’s a reason that crafting shows have remained such a staple for Wendy and Tina, and that’s because they love the community that comes with them. The two love to network with other crafters and see what kinds of art they bring to the table, as well as getting to speak with customers. At the big shows, there can be over 300 vendors which offers a great opportunity to see a variety of different work as well as a variety of people.
Despite the shows offering a great way to network and sell their wares, Wendy and her sister-in-law also want to branch out on their own and sell their crafts from the house. Wendy has a two-car garage that she hopes to convert to a craft shop one day where they can sell their crafts right from the house. They also put in an application at a popular craft store in town, but because it is so large, it could be many years before they get a response.
With big plans in place for growth and many more shows ahead, Wendy hopes that she will continue to craft to participate in shows for many years to come. “I hope to keep doing craft shows for a long time yet, I just love the community of people. I want to keep working on my diamond art and exclusively do that eventually,” said Wendy about her plans for the future. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out her next craft show!
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