Christmas shoppers line up for ‘Holi-Yay’ market

By Dale Woodard - Lethbridge Herald on December 15, 2021.

Judging by the lineup that snaked down the side of the Lethbridge Exhibition North Pavilion, people were blown away by the Lethbridge Handmade Market’s Holi-Yay event this past weekend.
Fortunately, that was in figurative sense and not literally, as the Holi-Yay market returned after being cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While those waiting to get inside the Lethbridge Handmade Market were indeed subject to a typical Lethbridge breeze Saturday, they were able to brave the gusts until they got inside.
“It’s been a great day, non-stop lineup,” said Lethbridge Handmade Market owner Jessy Gust. “We were a bit worried about the wind warning, but people were braving the wind and the line up anyway.”
A total of 125 artisans set up shop for Holi-Yay.
“It’s usually our busiest of the year,” said Gust. “We have over $2,600 in door prizes, kids prizes and live music is back at this one. We have four different local musicians.
“All the vendors seem to be quite happy and quite busy. We have lot of our out-of-town vendors who don’t usually come who are here. What’s unique at this one is we have 33 brand new (artisans) to LHM who have never been here before. So we have a lot of new people and there has been a lot of new businesses. It’s starting to feel a little more normal.”
Among the businesses set up last weekend was Woodsy and Whimsy, owned by Lethbridge’s Tammy Vandenhoek. “I have been going for a little over a year and I like to do a little bit of everything,” said Vandenhoek. “I really love doing wreaths, dried wreathes, season wreathes and evergreen wreaths. But I love doing woodworking as well. It’s something I picked up from my grandpa and my dad and a lot of the family as well. My dad (Dan Nelson) always had a workshop and my grandpa had a woodworking shop and my mom always did evergreen arrangements. It was just something I picked up and have gone with it from there.”
In keeping with the Hand Made Market theme, Woodsy and Whimsy is a hands-on venture for Vandenhoek, who also makes wooden corrals, doll houses and cabinets.
“All of the fresh evergreens and all of my dried wreaths are all done by me,” she said. “I cut everything and hand pick everything.”
On Saturday, Vandenhoek took advantage of the return of the Holi-Yay market.
“It’s wonderful. It’s gives you something to go out and do and you can be back and see everybody again,” she said. “It’s been really good today. I think things have really picked up quite a bit. I know the first few markets early on in the year were a little slow. But I think people are wanting to get out and do more.”
Starting Woodsy and Whimsy a little over a year ago, Vandenhoek was looking for something to do and also be at home with her children.
With her grandfather and father having introduced her to woodwork, Woodsy and Whimsy took shape.
“I didn’t want to just do anything,” said Vandenhoek. “I wanted to do something I enjoyed, so I figured you have to go with what your passion is. So I went with something I was already doing at home. I started doing things for my kids first, Christmas presents and woodworking, and I realized how much I loved it. So I started doing it more, selling a little bit and I made a business out of it.”
Saturday’s Holi-Yay market was Vandenhoek’s fourth event.
Word of Woodsy and Whimsy is getting out.
“It’s been really good. I honestly can’t keep up right now. It has been great,” she said.
Vandenhoek now looks to keep growing Woodsy and Whimsy.
“I’m at the point where I’m really needing to incorporate family into helping me more and that’s great because I like to have them alongside me in business.”
With the Lethbridge Handmade Market following the Restrictions Exemption Program, Gust said she’s looking forward to going back to scheduling six events a year – two every two months – in 2022.
“We had a lot of asks about what we were doing for COVID,” she said. “There’s the fear they’re not going to come. But we tell them we’re doing the REP program and the vaccine passport and they’re more than happy to come. There are families that have vulnerable young children and they know they can come here and feel safe. It makes us feel safe and everyone is starting to feel like it’s old times and we’re looking forward to 2022 and doing this again every two months and getting back to where we were a couple of years ago.”
The next Lethbridge Handmade Market date is Feb. 19, which will have a Northern Lights theme.
Applications for the market close Dec. 18. Interested artisans can apply at http://www.lethbridgehandmademarket.ca.

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