With so many different vendors from so many different places, there will be something for everyone.

“We try to keep a pretty good balance of clothing, things for kids, toys, children’s clothing, fine artists, ceramics and photography,” Lapotka said. “We are a little bit different than the regular mix of craft fairs. We have interesting artists and we also have a photo-booth Santa. It’s designed for the whole family. We’ll have a nonprofit area with a variety of activities people can participate in as well.”

The whole idea of the Missoula Made Fair is to give small-scale artisans and craftspeople a chance to get exposure to large crowds before the holiday season.

“The point of the Made Fair is to give local and regional artists an opportunity to sell handmade goods to the public,” Lapotka said. “We wanted to create an opportunity for artists to do that for holiday events eight years ago. The Missoula community is awesome and very supportive. We get a great turnout every year. People depend on that income for their end-of-year expenses for businesses. Like a lot of other retailers and outlets, it’s a pretty important time of year to make money and for people to buy handmade goods.”

Last year, between 5,000 and 7,000 people attended the fair and spent $250,000 in the seven-hour window.