Eugene Holiday Market 2009
The Practical Rabbit offers a variety of unique clothing at Eugene's Holiday Market, uncluding hemp underwear.
It would not be Eugene’s Holiday Market without tie-dye, live music, and a plethora of local artists and craftspeople selling everything from wooden flutes to hemp underwear. Throw in a gift wrapping service benefiting a local nonprofit, and all the pieces are in place for a genuine representation of Eugene at its best.
If you are new to Eugene, there are a handful of flagship events and gatherings where we rooted citizens come out of the woodwork and show our true colors. The Saturday Market’s thriving popularity never seems to dwindle as years pass, but shuts down for our rainy season.  Known for its drum circles, a variety of live music (we are talking everything from washboards to violas), international and organic cuisine booths, and loads of crafty things for sale, the Market invades downtown every Saturday.  Oak Street and 8th Avenue overflow with college kids, peaceful protesters and activists, families, artists, and yes, the Hippies, from all over the area. A passer-by with dreadlocks draped to his hips crosses paths with the well-manicured business man on his lunch break, while a group of Chinese exchange students enjoy an Ethiopian dish on the lawn: all in harmonious coexistence at Eugene’s unique weekly gathering. The Holiday Market serves as both an indoor, wintertime revitalization of the Saturday Market and a refreshing alternative to the mall for everyone on your gift list. If you drive instead of riding your bike or taking a bus, parking is easy and free at the Fairgrounds, located on West 13th Ave and Jefferson. Such is not the case at the Saturday Market, where parking is scarce and metered.
In Eugene, tie-dye never gets old.
If you are new to Eugene, you will soon discover that many of us prefer this open-air (albeit indoors), grassrootsy, eclectic atmosphere to the sterile, mainstream corporate mall (“corporate” tends to be a bad word in these parts). Just people-watching at the Holiday Market can give anyone a taste of Emerald City values. Regardless of where you like to shop and what you like to buy, it is difficult to visit the market and do nothing but people-watch. As you meander from booth to booth, something is bound to catch your eye—or nose or ears—and bringing a budgeted amount of cash is not a bad idea to satiate that must-have impulse. If the flamboyant tie-dye collection does not appeal to you, perhaps handmade jewelry is your weakness. Or maybe you’ll fall for locally crafted purses, clothes, soaps, lotions, knits, hats, baby toys, pottery, stoneware for the kitchen, yard or bath, metal sculpture, wind-chimes, tiles, paintings of all genres, price ranges and sizes, photographic art from around the world—the list of merchants goes on and on (and is online at www.holidaymarket.org). If you do not purchase anything, you will at least leave bedazzled.
Pottery and stoneware are a hit at the market, like these pieces for sale by Linda Williams.
If you do buy something, however, it is a bonus to be able to meet the artist who made your items. The artists that rent booths here make what you see, and getting to know them sheds light on the uniqueness of their goods and the community in which they thrive. Linda Williams, for example, has participated as a merchant in the market on and off for about fifteen years. She brings her stoneware, pots and vases, and reflects on years past: “It doesn’t change much. The music changes, but this year it’s good,” she laughs. Micki Shampang-Voories of Blue River, on the other hand, says of this year’s market: “It’s awesome. The artists here create togetherness, a sense of community support,” she explains when asked if vendors feel they compete with their neighboring booths. Micki makes décor and sculptures out of tool parts and steel—her business card features an image of a metal stiletto with a drill bit for a heel—and participates in about twenty-five other art shows throughout the year.
Micki Shampang-Voories sits at her booth of unique decor for sale.
Let’s say you buy Micki’s signature stiletto. How in the name of Masoli does one go about gift wrapping that thing? No need to worry: there’s a good cause to benefit while you are here. Womenspace, a successful and well-admired nonprofit providing emergency shelter to battered women and their children, will gift wrap your purchases for you onsite. Proceeds help local victims of domestic violence, and your new, beloved drill-bit shoes are unassumingly disguised as a normal gift for that special someone. The Womenspace table is located on the west side of the building, which faces the parking lot.
The market offers lots of activities to keep the kids busy, including some toy-testing opportunities.
If ogling at all the goods results in sensory overload, you may opt to take a breather in the central area where picnic benches divide the two rows of food booths. Here also we have the main stage where a list of bands and musicians delight in the exposure. This is an opportunity to witness Eugene’s lackadaisical personality. Children gallivant relatively freely in this space; terribly uncoordinated, although charmingly carefree couples and individuals dance in front of the stage (a common ritual at our markets and celebrations); strangers share the communal eating space where striking up new conversations is hardly unordinary. If you’ve worked up an appetite, do give the food a try. If you are unsure of a dish, ask the person next to you.
If you missed it on your way in, take a second on your way out to decompress in the Holiday Hall, which is a separate, smaller room featuring yet more merchants and musicians in a lower-key atmosphere. The Holiday Hall is tucked in the southwestern corner of the building. As you leave, you will likely encounter the solo musicians who come and go in the halls and outside the main doors. A lone saxophone player wails into a terribly frosty December afternoon turning evening. Just inside the door, a boy, probably twelve, thrashes his bow across a violin with the case at his feet, a few dollar bills crinkled up inside. As you walk back to your car (or bicycle), the music sounds like credits rolling after a movie. You start to miss it already, and you may have to come back tomorrow. Besides, it’s free.
Visit the Holiday Market to find something for everyone on your gift list.
Visit the Holiday Market weekends before Christmas from 10am – 6pm, or Tuesday the 22nd – Christmas Eve. The Market closes down on the 24th at 2pm. For more information check out http://www.holidaymarket.org.
Written by Lauren Zavrel for DiscoverEugene.com
Photos by Lauren Zavrel