Not long after the fall crafts fairs end in Northwest Arkansas, the holiday bazaars begin.
Some happen at churches - as Christmas bazaars traditionally do - but others have found new venues, bigger venues and revamped venues.
HOLIDAY ART SALE
It’s still the Block Street Art Sale, in spirit, and in its 13th year, it’s likely the oldest of the holiday bazaars. But the momentum isn’t slowing down. The sale is on the move again, this time to the Life Styles Blair Center at 5200 S.
Thompson St. in Springdale.
The show, which features a dozen local artisans including Don House, the event’s founder, Debra DuBois, Susan Shore and Faye Alter, had to leave Block Avenue in Fayetteville two years ago when the GoodFolk house became a private home. The move was a great one, says potter Marie Demeroukas, who has been “general wrangler” for nine years.
“We felt like we had more folks than we ever had last year. We gained more space.
A lot of the artists were able to expand into a much larger area, and that’s going to be true this year as well. That means some extra things, too,” among them Demeroukas’ wool pillows with “mod” felted flower designs.
Besides, she says, the interesting Blair Center venue - complete with a map room and a giant fish tank - will provide a great place for the holiday party and reunion that are integral parts of the art show.
“It’s just a fun event to start the season - and for a lot of people, it’s a holiday tradition.” WHEN -7-9 p.m. Dec. 6; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 7; and noon-4 p.m. Dec. 8 WHERE - Life Styles Blair Center, 5200 S. Thompson St. in Springdale COST - Admission is free INFO - theholidayartsale.com LITTLE CRAFT SHOW
Just three years into its existence, the Little Craft Show continues to offer the trendiest of holiday creations, like arch+craft’s modern decor and jewelry inspired byarchitecture.
Both Kara McElyea of Fayetteville and Rachel Smith-Loerts studied architecture and when both had their own homes, “were bemoaning the fact there wasn’t a lot of modern holiday decor out there,” McElyea says. “So we decided to make our own.
Then we thought it might be something other people would be interested in as well.”
arch+craft debuted at last year’s Little Craft Show, selling Christmas trees with clean, modern lines and jewelry using principles learned in school - balance, proportion and abstract patterns - allfashioned from Baltic birch plywood.
The results were resoundingly successful - as was last year’s show, says its founder, Amber Perrodin.
In its second year, the show grew from 24 to 55 vendors, she says, and had about 4,000 shoppers. This year, it will grow again, this time to 70 vendors, and fill the Fayetteville Town Center.
“We don’t want to grow any more as far as vendors go,” Perrodin says with a laugh, “but we always love to see more shoppers.” WHEN - 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 7 WHERE - Fayetteville Town Center COST - Admission is free INFO - littlecraftshow.com
HOLIDAY BAZAAR
It’s been a year of change for the Community Creative Center, housed at the Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios. The nonprofit organization has a newexecutive director, Barb Putman; a new program manager, Joy Price; and a new focus on “getting to the next level.”
What that means to CCC supporters is a newly staffed office, open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily; new and revamped classes for adults and children - such as Super Saturday Workshops for young people - and a continuation of the popular Holiday Bazaar, set this year for Dec. 7.
Putman promises fans will find pottery by many of the open studio artists they love - Marcella Thompson and Mike Waldie, to name a couple - plus new artisans, too: Kelley Wilks, Sean Fitzgibbon, Cindy Morley and at least 20 others.
“This is an amazing community asset,” Putman adds. “We want everyone to know we’re here.” WHEN - 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 7 WHERE - Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville COST - Admission is free INFO - 571-2706
Whats Up, Pages 13 on 11/15/2013