The PEC Studio Tour reports a record-breaking sales year: the $154,000 in sales over the weekend represents a 42 percent increase from the $108,000 recorded last year.

Close to 10,000 people went on the Tour. About 8,350 people visited studios this year, compared with 8,900 last year. 

“This year was certainly a buying year,” said Tour Chair Sue Whitney, who wants to wait and see whether the rise is a lasting trend or just the result of an unusually strong year.

A total of 57 artists participated across 39 studios, making the year’s Tour one of the largest in its history. 

Ms. Whitney noted greater reach to studios across the County. “We are certainly seeing more visits to the ‘outlier’ destinations, in the north, in Waupoos, and even points further south. As we enhance visitor tools  — the Toureka! Mobile app, social media —visitors are becoming discerning, targeting their destinations based on images and artist profiles.”

Howard Goldberg, who recently opened a beautifully renovated heritage barn studio along the far reaches of County Road 7 in Cressy, said he had 61 visitors across the weekend. While he noted that can’t compare to the over 200 visits a day to studios in centers like Wellington and Bloomfield, he was heartened, noting sales were excellent. 

“If just one studio gets on the map out here and has that many visits, neighbouring studios will also participate, creating a cluster of places to visit and that much more incentive to come out.” 

The three-day event was bustling, with Friday particularly active. On Saturday, the Bay Bridge was closed for several hours following an accident, forcing visitors to take alternate routes. And the Milford Fall Fair offered stiff competition on the Saturday. 

But some artists said they benefited from the additional activity. “It just caused people to get creative and detour,” Ms. Whitney said. “We are seeing greater visits to more of the out-of-town, off-the-beaten track, outlier destinations.”

For participating artists, the value of the tour extends well beyond sales.

Ms. Whitney said artists love the opportunity to talk with visitors about their work, while visitors get a chance to spend time in the spaces where the art is created.

“You get into the mind space of an artist when you’re hanging out in their studio and talking about their work,” she  notes.

That connection has helped the tour build a base of returning visitors: many artists report repeat visitors, who plan their calendars around the event. Organizers also saw many new visitors this year.

“They’re getting to talk to people about their art, and people are really interested in what they’re doing,” she says.