Vendor Spotlight

Photo and story by Maggie Youngs. Illustrations by Cynthia Pritchard, which have been published in issues of 'The Contributor' over the last few years.

Cynthia Pritchard loved working at the carnival for over 30 years as a foreman, overseeing its set up and tear down. Before Cynthia decided to stay in Nashville, the carnival allowed her the opportunity to travel all over the country and even internationally to Canada, the Bahamas and South Africa.

“I enjoyed it. If my body was willing, I would do it again,” she says. “I miss the kids and watching them have fun and enjoy themselves.”

Earlier in her carnival days, Pritchard was joined by her four children, whom she homeschooled. She says she loved seeing the awe on their faces.

“They were basically spoiled rotten,” she says. “My favorite part was when the young kids would walk in and see all the lights lit up.”

Pritchard started selling for The Contributor in 2013 during three month breaks from the carnival. Ending her time with the carnival in 2017, she came to sell in Nashville full-time. She currently sells on Harding Place with her friendly and furry companion, Sassy, whom she describes as her “best friend, companion and sleeping buddy.”

Recently, Pritchard moved into an apartment, and notes the excitement of having a toilet, shower and refrigerator. Prior to this move, a concrete company had allowed her to set up a camp in the woods behind their property.

“In the wintertime, I had a cowboy coffee pot, which is the kind you put on the flame and would take that and tarp up an area for a shower with wooden crates and a five gallon bag of water,” she says.

Pritchard says that Sassy has enjoyed the move as well.

“Now with being in a motel here, I have to literally shut the door when I go get a shower or somebody will jump in with me. She loves the water!”

One of Pritchard’s favorite parts of being with The Contributor has been the opportunity to publish her artwork. She particularly loves drawing and painting things for kids that have to do with the outdoors like flowers, ladybugs and cartoon animals. Outside of The Contributor, she’s also had the opportunity to create some canvas paintings for her customers. She says that her art was largely inspired by her mother.

“My mom was very good at drawing,” Pritchard says “One time, she drew a beautiful Santa Claus on a good piece of film. Then she put it in a frame that had a backlight on it. So, whenever we turned the lights off, nothing there. But when the lights come on, you could see Santa Claus and all that so that’s crazy. That’s super cool.”

Pritchard says she is largely inspired in her work by Sassy, her art, and her faith. She’s passionate about people understanding that we are all humans.

“I mean, God ain’t one color. He’s all the colors,” she says “And too many people don’t look at it that way. We’re all humans. We’re all descended from Adam and Eve. Not many people think that way.”