By Autumn Garrett, Editorial Intern

The Art Garden KC and Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce opened the first Holiday Market on Nov. 19, 2021. The market of local artists and makers brought the community together to have fun while also getting a chance to shop local.

“We’re usually an outdoor market and that’s much larger, we started last year, March 2020. Eventually we started wrapping up our last outdoor event in October and now we’re doing indoor marking,” said Bethany Alzanadi of Studio Zanadi Art and Design Pendleton Arts Block Collective Coordinator.

Vendors offered their products such as paintings, jewelry, clothes and much more. The local artists that helped make the Holiday Market possible by selling some of their art are Age of Sol, Silver Lining Shop, Charms by Rachel Alivia, Imagin9 Studios, Gresh Origami, Mallory Art Gallory, Weird Sisters Miscellany, Curtis Urness, Isis Inspirations, NEHS Art Club, and Jewels of Kenya.

Not only did the market have handmade pieces of art that the community could buy to give as gifts or even to keep themselves, the market also had a crafts table where people could come to paint and make their very own art. 

Many children were excited to create masterpieces of their own, with artists even teaching  some techniques to beginning artists and giving the children some painting tips. The Holiday Market also held a raffle to give people the chance of winning an artists’ work at the market. 

“We also have a raffle going on. If you bring in a camp item, or a coat donation, you’ll be entered to win prizes from our artists. And then we also have a gift. So those donations will be going to one of the Northeast shelters, this way we’re doing something for the community as well,” Alzanadi said.

Jadabay’s Tasty Kitchen provided philly cheesesteaks, burgers, loaded fries, eggrolls, tacos, hot wings & more, and the Holiday Market also hosted a beer tasting from 3 to 5 p.m. by Crane Brewing Company.

The Holiday Market will also be open on December 18 between 1-6 p.m. with around 16 local artists and vendors from Art Garden KC. Come down to the Economic Growth Gallery at 2659 Independence Ave.

“We have an event every Sunday through November and December at PH Coffee, and we’re here with [the Economic Growth] Gallery to support the gallery and get more people to come in,” Alzanadi said. “We’re kind of trying to help the Chamber out in that way, but this is our first holiday market, we’re happy that we got to do something like this.”

For more information, visit the Art Garden KC Facebook page.