Durango’s recent effort to enforce business licensing and sales-tax collection at small Christmas craft fairs is a mistake, both practically and culturally. These events are not commercial operations in any meaningful sense. They are community gatherings where local crafters, many of them retirees, spend months creating items and often sell them at little more than the cost of their materials. For many, the reward is not profit but purpose.
At a time when loneliness is recognized as an epidemic, these fairs offer a rare space where people of all ages connect, share their work and feel that their contributions have value. A local senior facility canceled its fair, and participants in the St. Columba event were put on notice over technical tax concerns, undermining the very community benefit these gatherings provide.
What makes this especially ironic is that the city publicly champions arts and culture through grants, programs and the designated arts district, while simultaneously burdening small, seasonal hobbyists with regulations designed for businesses. Trying to squeeze a few dollars in sales tax from Christmas craft tables is not only counterproductive, it runs directly against the spirit of the season.
Durango should reconsider this approach. Supporting grassroots creativity and human connection does far more for our community than taxing it.
Dominic May
Durango
