By Chelsea Royer
I attended my first Country Christmas Bazaar last year. I remember being amazed at how many people packed the front entrance and filled every booth. I accomplished much of my Christmas shopping, stopping to pick up a pair of handmade earrings, soaps, and scented wax melts. Though there were plenty of non-holiday crafts, it smelled like Christmas and there were snowmen around most corners.
The Country Christmas Bazaar is the brainchild of Karen Olson with 2015 marking her 37th year in a row hosting the largest bazaar in six counties.
“My first year planning the bazaar, I planned with a friend in McCleary. We had 14 vendors and it was a complete failure,” Karen chuckles. “I still remember vendors playing card games and bartering with one another – it was that slow.” But for one reason or another, Karen stuck with it. Now, Karen has 241 spaces for vendors and prints over 500 vendor name tags. She has a waiting list for all the vendors she is unable to fit into the giant venue at Grays Harbor Fairgrounds.
“The growth really began after ten years,” says Karen. “We filled one room of our current venue at the fairgrounds, then spilled over to the second. Finally, we got so big we had to spread out into the arena. We are using up every inch of space and our waiting list is out for four years.” From having to solicit vendors to developing a waiting list, Karen is pleased with the growth of the event.
“My favorite part about this bazaar are the vendors. I’ve made lots of great friends and every year it’s like a big reunion,” says Karen. One of her childhood friends, Marie Bezoni, has been a vendor since the first bazaar 37 years ago. “Those who do well keep coming back,” explains Karen stressing that one of the defining characteristics of this bazaar is that everything sold is handmade. Many bazaars will include commercial or imported products, but the Country Christmas Bazaar is one of the few around with strictly handmade items.
“I think this bazaar has been so successful because of the amazing vendors and because it is held on the exact same weekend every year,” says Karen. This bazaar has now become an expected community event and a Grays Harbor gateway to the holidays. One group of ladies gets together for an annual brunch before spending the day shopping at the bazaar. “I watch people every year from my temporary office space above the rooms. It’s an incredibly social event and people greet one another as though this is the first they’ve seen one another all year,” smiles Karen. “The whole event is super crowded. We typically have the worst weather of the year that weekend, but it doesn’t stop us from being packed! Attendees seem to just have the best time.”
What types of vendors can you expect to see at this event? There are many who refurbish vintage furniture. Some make rustic signs or jewelry, others create soaps and wax melts. There are sewn items, blown glass, knitted goods, carved figures, and Christmas decor amongst hundreds of other handmade items. “My hope is that people feel they had a good time, found some deals, and maybe discovered things they didn’t know they wanted,” says Karen.
When the bazaar first began, the attendees were primarily women. But now, with such diverse vendors selling such a wide range of goods, the venue is full of men and women alike. The vendors are in high spirits and happy to help shoppers and craft lovers find the perfect gift.
For many nearby Grays Harbor businesses, the bazaar is one of the biggest, customer-attracting event of the year for restaurants. “I’m just so proud of my vendors and the bazaar in general. I love seeing people enjoying themselves,” reflects Karen. “It’s a loud gathering with plenty of laughter.”
Come welcome in the holiday season by supporting local artists and vendors at the Country Christmas Bazaar. This event will be held at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds, Saturday, November 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m and Sunday, November 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Parking and admission is free.
