By Emily Miller

IDAHO FALLS—What began with two Rexburg friends crafting together 30 years ago is now one of the area’s largest craft shows, and a special tradition for those who know and love it. 

The Country Touch Craft Fair is open now through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at Town & Country Gardens, 5800 S Yellowstone Highway, Idaho Falls. 

80 crafters and vendors have set up shop, selling handmade items like mittens, beanies, wreaths, dolls,  jewelry, soaps, lotions, etc., as well as vendors with clothes, socks, vintage toys, and lots of delicious treats. 

Konda Fullmer of Rexburg and Julie Mitchell Rounds of Idaho Falls (formerly of Rexburg) have been running the fair together for almost 30 years. The friendship started when Fullmer moved into her Rexburg home and met Rounds, who had a saw for scroll cutting. Together, they learned the craft and then started teaching others. 

About a year later, the pair joined Rounds’ sister from Preston and together they put on a craft fair in Rexburg. Because of the nature of the fair, they decided to name their business “The Country Touch.”

Soon, they were putting on their own fair in the basement of The Hearthside, a furniture store that used to be on Second East in Rexburg. They held the event twice per year for 11 years. 

“It was huge,” Fullmer says. “It was huge for us.”

After the furniture store closed, Fullmer and Rounds were on the hunt for a new venue. They spent a couple seasons in Rigby before Town and Country Gardens in Idaho Falls invited them to host the fair at their location. 

That arrangement has proven to be a good one, as the Country Touch Craft Fair has been a regular yearly event for 15 years at Town and Country Gardens. 

“It’s grown and grown and grown,” Fullmer says, stating that the last few years, especially, have been really successful. 

To visit the fair, go through the main entrance at Town and Country Gardens and follow the signs to the craft fair. For a preview of some of the available items, visit their Facebook page here.