The holidays are upon us and if there’s one thing I enjoy during the season, it’s the bazaars and outdoor markets that I love to visit every year. Mind you, I’m not a shopaholic, but I do love looking at the displays and products they feature. One of the places I have come to love over the years is the annual Holiday Market at Lock 3.
I have to admit, it can get pretty crowded, but at this time of year, that’s pretty much the case everywhere. Every year, they feature local artists and their handmade crafts. Now, I cannot begin to say how exciting that is for someone who loves crafts as much as I do. We take holiday decorating to a whole new level in our home – from the tree ornaments to the handcrafted Santa doll that has been in my family for generations. It is simply not a complete holiday for us until the house is fully made up with holiday cheer, it is impossible not to smile looking at it.
The Holiday Market features artisans who sell tree ornaments. If you love Christmas ornaments, you will have a hard time picking out the ones you’d want to add to your collection. And what about the handcrafted goods from German artisans? The woodwork is excellent – a skill that seems to have been handed down from father to son through the years. There’s a booth that sells these adorable ceramic items, which would look great as a centerpiece on your coffee table. That same store offers what they call Akron mugs, which features a unique design for each piece. It would also be a crime not to mention the hand-poured candles with their lovely scents – perfect to give as gifts and to light after a stressful day outside.
The Holiday Market at Lock 3 is sponsored by Downtown Akron Partnership and is open this year from the 29th of November to the 31st of December. Do note that for every $100 you spend in buying goods from local small businesses, $68 of that is returned to help the local community’s economy, so you also give back by shopping there.
