The holiday season is in full swing, and with it an assortment of local craft fairs and bazaars happening on the central peninsula. One of these fairs is the Fourth Annual Holiday Cheer Christmas Bazaar, held inside the Kenai Center Mall.
This year's event showcases more than thirty Kenai Peninsula-based vendors. Items available for purchase include soap, jelly, jewelry and more.
“For a lot of vendors, it’s an income,” said Annette Villa, marketing manager of the bazaar. She founded the event during the pandemic.
“It’s their livelihood, so I decided to provide a place for them to be able to sell their stuff during a terrible time,” she added.
Villa, who also organizes the Soldotna Wednesday Market, pushed hard during the pandemic for bazaars and craft fairs to continue. During this time, both the Wednesday Market and Christmas Bazaar were held in a safe, socially distanced manner.
“It offered a space and a place to get out and socialize at a time where it wasn’t necessarily popular to be socializing,” Villa said.
Much like during the pandemic, leaving home during the winter months can be challenging. Villa says getting out of the house for events like these can provide a social outlet during the darkest and coldest months.
Although the Christmas Bazaar helps keep holiday spending local, it also supports the work of local artisans. Barry Solie is the owner of Solie’s Homestead Enterprises, a chainsaw carving business. He is selling Alaska-themed wood carvings, crafted to resemble salmon, moose and trees.
“Sawdust and being in my own shop, woodworking, has always been a dream of mine,” Solie said. “I love it.”
While Solie enjoys participating in craft fairs year-round, he says holiday bazaars are special because they allow him to interact almost exclusively with locals. He says his favorite part of these events is putting a smile on customers' faces
Set up across the room from Solie is another vendor, selling traditional beadwork, knives and furs. Karen Trulove runs the booth, selling her own crafts and those of friends.
“Lots of people spend a lot of quality time making something, and they put their heart into it,” she said. “A lot of people that walk through here, they see the value in what people have made, and they really like it. They love being able to identify with an item, knowing that someone local has made it.”
Trulove says events like the Christmas Bazaar allow holiday shoppers to purchase unique items that can’t be found anywhere else. She also believes they’re beneficial to the local economy.
“Black Friday, a lot of people love going to Walmart and Fred Meyer,” Trulove said. “Me and my family, we like to spend our money at local craft fairs, supporting our community. A lot of locals do that, which is really nice.”
“We have such a great variety of very talented artisans,” said Villa. “I think as we go to the different markets, we can be very proud of that, because it speaks to the health of our community.”
The final Holiday Cheer Christmas Bazaar of the season will be held this Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the old Kenai Mall.
