Long in the Booth

Aimless tourists who happen to wander a block away from the Huntington Beach pier often wind up here. So do kids looking for after-school kicks and locals with some time on their hands.

It’s the city’s weekly Main Street Art-a-Fair, an open-air market that has been growing in size--both in sellers and buyers--for the last five years.

Held next to the Certified Farmers Market at Walnut Avenue and 5th Street, the fair is coordinated by Toni Groat and Pam Fellows. The two longtime residents were invited by city officials “to create a European-style market where the community could gather, eat, chat and buy wares,” Groat said.

Seven artists’ booths soon became 70, offering crafts and items from stained glass to little girls’ hats. There are services, too, from a body-art station and a palm reader to a saxophonist.

The fair runs every Friday--rain or shine--from 1 p.m. to dusk. Free admission, some free parking. (714) 536-2213.