BUCKHANNON – The Chris Kringle Market will offer homemade local crafts until Sunday Nov. 29.
Hosted by Mountaineer Woodcrafts, the Market is comprised of several local crafters including Mountaineer Woodcrafts, Hyre’s Country Workshop and Creative Products LLC. Shoppers can find the crafters from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 25 North Locust St. in Buckhannon, weather permitting.
Donna Bailey, owner of Mountaineer Woodcrafts and organizer of Chris Kringle Market, said she wanted to put the market together to help the artists and crafters who could not attend craft shows this year because of COVID-19.
“My husband and I are the sponsors of the Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School Holiday Crafts and Gifts show, and the virus stopped us from using the school – that’s where we and 70 other crafters would be,” Bailey said. “Of course, you have the armory [show] that couldn’t go on, you had Holly Jolly (Christmas Craft and Vendor Show) that couldn’t go on, so we decided to put seven of our local crafters here in this parking lot for the week, and all seven will be set up by Friday.”
Bailey said the market will feature artists who make personalized decorations, candles, arrangements, metal art and a T-shirt company.
“There’s no shows going on anywhere,” Bailey said. “We generally do 17 shows in the fall and we’ve done one, and most of our crafters that are coming are in the same situation. We have been forgotten, the virus affects this, and it affects that, but what about the independent? What about the self-employed?”
(The Seventh Annual Holly Jolly Christmas Craft and Vendor Show has adapted to an entirely virtual format this year.)
Bailey said she has also arranged for a Salvation Army Bell Ringer to attend the market Wednesday.
“Everything’s handmade, and our show would have been 32 years old this year,” Bailey said. “I do personalized wood décor, I do arrangements, everything is house paint, so it can be inside or outside.”
Peggy Hyre is the owner of Hyre’s Country Workshop and they also make personalized wooden items and solar flagpoles.
“We have not had any craft shows this year, so we’ll be thankful for anybody that comes out, sees us, participates and buys something,” Hyre said. “The Grinch I make is really popular – probably the most popular and the little deer.”
Archie Jackson is the owner of Creative Products LLC and they make festive candles.
“They’re not machine mass-produced like the ones you get it from China,” Jackson said. “We buy the raw wax, melt the wax, turn it into liquid, wick the molds. Then, we scent the candles with the vanilla or snickerdoodles and then we take them out of the mold and decorate them, package them, and they’re ready to go.”
He said their snickerdoodle candles are their number one seller, and he will definitely be at the market Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
“Our candles are scented the same on the inside as they are on the outside,” Jackson said. “We use the highest quality scent, the best quality wax, and they just make good gift sets.”
Check out the Chris Kringle Market’s event page on Facebook for updates.
