Bazaar in Downtown Pocatello to offer locally made Christmas crafts
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POCATELLO — A business in Downtown Pocatello is hosting a Christmas craft fair featuring more than 40 local vendors.
The Valentine, a wedding shop and venue, will play host to the Christmas Creators Market Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
“It’s, pretty much, a local fair, where people can come shop small businesses, shop locally,” said Jodi McHugh, one of the event’s organizers and vendors. “We have clothing vendors, jewelry vendors, kids toy vendors, book vendors. We’re even going to have food vendors.”
Mecinna Price, who owns The Valentine, said she hopes this event will put people who want to shop and support local creators with those innovative entrepreneurs. As she explained to EastIdahoNews.com, many of the Gate City’s local vendors do not have brick-and-mortar stores and lack the visibility events like this can offer.
“It’s just a good way for people to be able to shop local — to get everybody in one spot,” she said. “A lot of our local artisans and creators are all online; most of them don’t have storefronts.”
Price called the bazaar a “fun, festive” day of shopping for everything from clothes and jewelry to home decor and even “big boxes of potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“There’s lots of variety with the vendor selection,” she said.
One of the focuses of the event, McHugh added, was getting some of the lesser-known local vendors to attend. Many local crafters, she continued, can be found at farmer’s markets and fairs. For this event, the organizers “branched out” to some of the people who sell their wares from their homes — some of whom, she added, are “toying” with the idea of growing their businesses and can use this event as a barometer.
Vendors will be stationed inside the expansive indoor space of The Valentine — located at 100 South Arthur Avenue.
The Valentine was built in 1906 and once served the community as a First National Bank branch. While the interior decoration, from massive hanging chandeliers to mirror-lined walls, is modernized, Price has made it a point to embrace the history of the building — including using the old vault as a bar for events.
When not hosting the Christmas Creators Market, The Valentine is split into two businesses — a bridal shop and a ballroom and event center — with wedding and event planning.
Price has owned the building for nearly two years and plans to continue using it for events like the Christmas Creators Market. She is currently toying with the idea of hosting a spring shopping fair and expects the Christmas event will grow next year to include crafting classes through the weekend.
“We’re hoping to grow it and make it a really cool local event.”
