The sales reports from 43 different artists are in and the numbers reveal that 2023 Meander Upper Minnesota River Arts Crawl delivered the third highest number of total sales for the 20 year-old regional festival. According to Kristi Fernholz, Planning Director for the Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission (UMVRDC), a total of $124,506 in art sales were made during the course of the three day Meander weekend, down $6,851 from last year.
“The rainy and blustery weather conditions may have played a part in the slight drop in sales from last year,” said Fernholz. “But the overall economic impact for small businesses in the region remains strong,” she added.
According to surveys returned by Meander visitors and the artists themselves, the average Meander customer spends $45 on food and gas and $19 on shopping other than art in the region. When multiplied by the estimated 1800 Meanderers over the weekend, this amounts to another $115,000 flowing into the small towns of the 5 county region (Big Stone, Swift, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle and Yellow Medicine) served by the UMVRDC.
According to the surveys, 42% of those customers taking part in the Meander weekend are from outside the region and 15% come from other states. 27% of those attending the 2023 event were first timers and 86% of all attendees surveyed indicated that they plan to come again next year.
“This is a great event that lifts up the good people, the creativity and beautiful landscape of our Prairie Waters region,” said Fernholz. “The Meander is one of the best things we can do to attract new families to our communities.”
For more information on the Meander, call 1-866-866-5432 or visit www.artsmeander.com.
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