After the 2020 cancellation of the Holiday Market due to the pandemic, a renewed excitement, new vendors, and an impressive crowd of shoppers made the 6th annual 2021 Holiday Market a big success! Providing opportunities for the Creative Economy to thrive in our community is one of the missions of the Arts Extension Program. Many of the Cultural Arts participants in the Homemaker Program also participate as vendors in the Holiday Market. Many of the vendors are members of the Greenup County Farmers Market (GCFM) which makes the event a natural pairing and partnership event for the Fine Arts, FCS, and Ag agents together as an office unit. 

Out of 40 vendors, 18 responded to our request to report their total sales which was $6,953.75. Using this number to find an average, we estimate that the overall total sales for 2021 topped $15,000. This represents 100% direct sales from artisan to consumer at a one-day event. Many of our vendors also took orders for future sales and directed people to their online Esty Stores or other ways to order custom or commission items. 

Because our mission is to encourage and support the creative economy, vendor fees are very low ($10) and are used for event marketing costs. This allows for lower overhead when compared to other craft fair events. One of our vendors said, “I appreciate the organization and marketing that goes into the Extension Holiday Market. It is easy for me to get to my space. I enjoy visiting with the other vendors. The atmosphere is supportive and festive. My total sales were triple what I expect on a good day at the Farmers Market which was also great this year. I will definitely be back next year!” 

The original mission of this event, along with the Spring Market, was to identify local artisans and educate them about the GCFM. The artisan vendors at the GCFM have increased steadily over the past few years and the Executive Board recently voted to incorporate both the Holiday Market and the Spring Market into the GCFM schedule. The Spring Market will open their season and the Holiday Market will close the season. This is a long-term outcome because the original mission was met and it has become part of the GCFM to feature artisan vendors to expand the customer base of the market as a whole unit without distinction of farmer or artisan.