More than 200 local artists and craftspeople will mark the start of the holiday shopping season at the 42nd annual Wellesley Marketplace fine arts fair at Wellesley High School on Saturday, Nov. 17, taking place the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St., Wellesley, MA 02481
Tickets: General admission $15; students and seniors $5. Advanced premium early-admission tickets $20 (for early entry from 9-10 a.m. and complimentary tote bag)
Where to buy tickets: Roche Bros. and online at http://bit.ly/MarketplaceTix2018. General admission tickets can also be purchased at the door.
Wellesley Marketplace is an annual retail favorite for those seeking unique locally made gifts for family and friends. Local artists from New England and afar will show off gourmet foods, hostess and teacher gifts, jewelry and clothing, home accessories, ornaments, children’s toys and accessories, even dog toys and treats.
Wellesley Marketplace is the largest fundraiser for the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC), which provides more than $140,000 in need-based college scholarships and community grants each year.
This will mark the third year in a row that the event will be held at Wellesley High School. Last year, Marketplace drew a crowd of 1,700 shoppers. New this year, shoppers who buy premium tickets will receive a complimentary tote bag in addition to early admission. We are also pleased to offer unrestricted parking at the High School for shoppers this year.
This year, Marketplace will feature a handful of new hometown vendors from Wellesley, including Cask Force, co-founded by Wellesley High Graduate (Class of 2009) Nicholas O’Connell.
“Bringing my barrel aged maple syrups to my hometown gives me the opportunity to introduce our new Artist Series maple line to my friends and neighbors, and allows me to give back to the community that gave me so much,” said O’Connell, who now lives in South Boston.
Providing another all-natural item, Wellesley resident Nicole Chapman will be selling her handcrafted, all-natural whipped body butters. “Niki’s Small Batch body butters grew organically from my desire to have a cream which would moisturize my very dry skin, not be greasy, be all natural while still smelling amazing. I’m super excited to be selling at Wellesley Marketplace because it will be great opportunity for more people to try my products!” said Chapman. A combination of shea butter, vitamin E oil and aloe vera provide the perfect combination for shoppers to indulge in some pampering after shopping.
Many Wellesley shoppers are already familiar with Cakes by Deb, founded by Deb Buhler of Wellesley. “My custom-designed cakes and other desserts are made with only the finest ingredients, without gluten, dairy, egg, nut or soy. Whether you have food allergies or not, the taste will simply AMAZE you!” said Buhler, whose cakes are already a favorite on the Wellesley cake and party scene.
Sustainable Wellesley will be offering free “green” gift wrapping using Japanese Furoshiki fabric. The Wellesley non-profit is encouraging reusability while offering this service for the second year.
“I love that we can raise money for kids to go to college and to help fund community groups like the PTO, after-school sports and the food pantry–and that we do all of it by setting up an arts marketplace of cool, interesting local artists,” said Marketplace co-chairwoman Jennifer Bonniwell of Wellesley. “This is my favorite shopping event of the year.”
Last year, WHJWC awarded $72,000 in college scholarships to 28 Wellesley High School students. WHJWC also gave $70,500 in grants to Wellesley-area community groups.
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