Holiday Mart is Saturday

by Danny Wade

With Christmas just a few weeks away, many people have already begun their shopping. Some started last year, the day after Christmas. Others pick up a few items throughout the year. This Saturday, November 10, is the perfect time to purchase gifts for almost everyone on your shopping list at Holiday Mart.

Holiday Mart will once again be held at East Elementary School in the cafeteria and gymnasium. Doors open Saturday morning at 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Admission is free.

Last year Junior Auxiliary of Humboldt adopted Holiday Mart. The Humboldt Business Women’s Club created Holiday Mart in 2004. Over the years, the shopping extravaganza grew and grew, meaning more work and hours for the short number of members for the Humboldt Business Women.

So they decided to pass it off to another civic organization and Junior Auxiliary came to mind. JA took it and ran. The two clubs worked together going over all the details of Holiday Mart. Luckily it was a seamless transition for both organizations.

Last year, Holiday Mart was the biggest yet with vendor booths filling the cafeteria and the gym, with overflow booths set up in the hallway. This year JA is limiting the number of booths and will not use the hallway, which were very tight and crowded for visitors last year.

Holiday Mart has 60 booths lined up this year, opposed to 65 last year. There will be plenty of booths offering a variety of products. Some booths will focus on holiday products while others will have items used all year long.

Shoppers can expect to find vendors with clothing boutiques; jewelry; home décor; Thanksgiving, fall and Christmas gifts and décor; pottery; all types of arts and crafts; cosmetics and beauty products; children’s educational materials; food; and lots more.

Booth space is 10x10ft. Some vendors will rent more than one space creating one big booth.

Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be available so shoppers won’t have to leave when they get hungry. They can simply take a break, grab a bite to eat, then continue to find bargains galore and cross items off of their Christmas lists.

Junior Auxiliary of Humboldt is a ladies’ civic organization that focuses on helping children. Some of their projects include Kid/Child Welfare project assisting those who may need a little extra help, Cinch Bag Surprise filled with toiletry items, Operation Kid Print providing fingerprinting and IDs for children, Prom Closet collecting gently used prom dresses for those who need a dress for a special occasion,

Backpack Program filled with school supplies, Summer Camp in conjunction with Humboldt Housing Authority, Project Lullaby to provide needs for babies/mother at A Mother’s Love, Rising Star/Unsung Hero recognizes students that do not normally make the best grades but have good attitude and try harder, and Reading Adventure/Book Buddies reading to students and handing out children’s book.

JA invites everyone to come and enjoy the 14th annual Holiday Mart this year. Not only are you helping complete your holiday shopping, you are also supporting one of Humboldt’s civic clubs, who in turn, gives back to the community.