She decided to turn them into art.

“That’s kind of where it started,” said Prue, of Morrisville. “It was, ‘What can I do with this?’ ”

Prue, 50, displayed her headbands, skirts, belts and gift bags made from ties for the first time recently at Garner’s Music Off Main concert.

This summer, artists are setting up their wares at the summer concert series to attract attention and sell their work.

The town hosted a forum for local artists in April, and many said they need more opportunities to display their crafts.

So far, an artists’ venue at the concerts is going well, said John Hodges, executive director of the Garner Revitalization Association.

The concerts typically draw up to 550 people. Last month’s kickoff concert had nearly 1,000 people, Hodges said.

“We thought this really is an appropriate place to add (art) in,” he said.

Carrie Jones and Brenda Taylor, both teachers at Middle Creek High School, displayed bracelets, earrings and other beaded items at the show. They lead a jewelry club at the school to teach students the art of making ornaments.

The struggle is figuring out where to sell it, Jones said.

“You just make so much of it,” she said. “It’s like, what do you do with it?”

Jones showed jewelry made from copper, gold and aluminum. Taylor also displayed her pottery, which she began creating 12 years ago.

She makes plates, bowls, cups, figurines and more. Taylor, who is president of the Cary Clay Co-Op, said she already sells the pottery at the Cary farmers market and other events in southwest Wake County.

She saw the Garner event as a way to reach a new audience.

“I’ve been wanting to get out of Cary and venture out,” Taylor said. “So I was real tickled.”

So was Heather Lee, who displayed her digital photography and digital art. She sold greeting cards for $3.50 and 4-by-6-inch prints for $1.75.

Lee, 40, of Garner said she mostly sells her art online. But it’s important for artists to get out and show their work, she said.

“Every artist is different,” Lee said.

Donna Newmeyer, 77, of Garner perused the artists’ wares before the concert kicked off. The town needs more art, she said.

“It brings people out,” Newmeyer said. “It exposes what we have – the artists in the region. It just adds to the whole ambiance.”

That’s the point, Hodges said. Some people have told him the artists create more of a festival atmosphere.

Jo Cicci of Garner said she would welcome the opportunity to display her mixed-media and pet portraits.

“If we could get that going, that would be awesome,” she said.