This story is sponsored by Create, Restore & More.
With a traditional Black Friday feel, The Holiday Sip & Shop Market gives over 65 creative, talented, vendors an opportunity to sell their work during the holiday season.
Vanessa Bell and her husband JJ, owners of Create, Restore, & More, started the market with friend Alyssa Huss, and this is their third year running it.
“We do the Prairie Peddler. So this all came about during COVID, because the Peddler was the only show that hadn’t been canceled in the area for people to make money,” Bell said. “Then I thought ‘What in the world are we going to do with all this stuff?’ afterwards, the inventory. I kept seeing all these makers that were missing all these shows and the opportunity to make money.”
Three years later, the market is still up and running each season and growing bigger each year. To celebrate this holiday season, there will be a variety of different products available, from leather goods, to pet items, handmade jewelry, home decor and the list goes on.
On Friday, the event begins at 5 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Their goal is to bring a nostalgic Black Friday feeling to shoppers.
“We’re trying to bring back the giddiness of standing in line early, getting the best deals, the best doorbusters. What we’re trying to express to people is that getting a discount from a handmade maker is a really big deal,” Bell said.
The two day event not only features skilled vendors, but will have a myriad of different planned events and activities. There will be a cocktail bar with themed cocktails for the season. On Friday, the first 100 people in line will receive a “Swag Stocking” filled with coupons and other items. One can purchase a pre-cut Christmas tree as well.
“Saturday is geared more towards families,” Huss said. “We’ll have an ice skating rink for the kids, a train, and a horse drawn carriage ride. Santa and the Grinch are going to be there both days.”
The event goes from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturday, and in order to make the venue feel even more like a winter wonderland, a jazz band will be playing outside on both days. Food trucks will be in attendance as well, and reindeer from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
“The Ohio State vs. Michigan game will be playing on the TV and we will be having a large giveaway in support of it. All you have to do is wear a spirit gear item,” Bell said.
The event takes place at 311 N. Seltzer St. in Crestline, Ohio on November 25 and 26. Admission is $5 for both days. For more information, visit their Facebook page.
“I just want people to understand how much time, work, effort, money and everything that goes into handcrafting and making something for people to enjoy rather than just being able to pick it up from the store,” Huss said. “Everything these vendors do, they do it because they love to do it.”
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