Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire back indoors after 2 years

Nov. 26—For the past two years, organizers of the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire in Ashland held the longtime event outdoors because of the pandemic.

But Saturday afternoon — considered "Small Business Saturday" by many Americans — things truly were back in business, as the event was held indoors at the Historic Ashland Armory, 208 S. Oak St. The expansive space, containing 44 artisans throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, had "a vibe" event co-founder Marcus Scott had not felt in a long while.

"The access to electricity, it goes hand in hand with the Ashland Festival of Light," said Scott, referring to an annual downtown event that had occurred a day prior. "When you come in here, you come from bright into dark, but it's lit. It feels magical to me."

Scott — the owner of "The Stone Bead," turning stones into hand-cut jewelry — pointed to the light bulbs strung from one artisan booth to the next.

"It's not that it's not magical in front of Lithia Park; it is," Scott said. "It's just you can't get as many people to feel as the vendor, and a lot of these vendors can't risk being in the rain. If rain is threatening, you're going to lose almost all of your fine artists on the weekend."

It was noteworthy this Saturday was, in fact, perfect fall weather, with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s as clouds parted by lunchtime, letting in some hazy sunlight. The weather was similar to this year's Black Friday.

"To me, this is the artisan's chance to have an impact on Black Friday that is truly local, handcrafted, decentralized and self-sustaining," Scott said. "Rather than spending your money at Walmart or any major conglomerate like that."

Inside the Armory, people of all ages came in their sweaters, hats and scarves to take in all the event space had to offer. Vendors included Fine Sea Glass Art Creations, Gardener Clayworks, Mad Ceramics, The Hat People and Biodiversity Arts.

Biodiversity Arts is run by Deb Van Poolen, on hand Saturday to show off her numerous prints: paintings depicting mushrooms and butterflies in the Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges. Poolen, who does some landscape artwork, too, explained her biodiversity prints are created thanks to photos from local field biologists.

"I love the natural world, and the biodiversity here is really strong, (but) it's weakening in many parts of the planet," Van Poolen said, noting her work comes with a legend naming each subject by both its common and Latin name. "People like learning."

She might have a bias, but Van Poolen, who has shown at the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire for years, believes her prints can be perfect holiday gifts.

"I think people appreciate the opportunity to get a little education while they're shopping," Van Poolen said. "They appreciate the opportunity to share that information with friends."

On the other side of the Ashland Armory was Talent-based headgear maker The Hat People, now in its 44th year in business. Jim Young, who co-owns The Hat People with his wife, Carol, joked he was "one of the elves," pointing to the green hat he made with a pointy rim.

"I'm definitely in the holiday mood," Jim said.

Starting "off the grid" outside of Merlin decades ago, The Hat People has both summer and winter lines of products, made from natural fibers that are functional and washable.

"We have a lot of practice," Jim said. "Forty-four years — that's lot of hats."

With that legacy, The Hat People also try to make headgear that's "serviceable."

"It's wintertime. It's great to have a hat on your head when you go out," Jim said.

Patti Janes of Ashland was all smiles trying on a hat among the variety hanging around her.

"It's beautiful," she said. "We'll see (if I buy one). I'm looking for just the right mix. If they don't have it, they'll make it for me."

Janes, who has lived in Ashland for four years, said Saturday marked her first time at the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire.

"I want to support the local businesses," she said.

The event not only welcomed locals like Janes, but out-of-towners, including Anikka Wright of Berkeley, California. She ate Thanksgiving in the swanky college town before venturing north this weekend to visit friends. Stopping in Ashland has become a tradition for her.

"I love Berkeley, but I feel like it's lost a lot of its artisan style, like you find here," Wright said.

The town's walkability and parks are what attract the young college student, but Wright "stumbled" upon the Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire after viewing Friday night's Ashland Festival of Light, when up to 1 million lights lit up downtown.

"It's incredible; it's beautiful," Wright said. "The painters have gotten me."

She hadn't purchased anything when the Mail Tribune spoke to her, but Wright noted her support for small businesses.

"I think it's important to support the local economy," she said.

Overall, Wright said she felt the event was festive but admitted she was in the holiday mood even before she arrived.

"I notice a lot of people know the artists by name. You can see this is a small-town community," Wright said.

Co-founder Scott said he hoped the event sent off the same vibe that Wright was referring to.

"The magnitude is different, which creates more of a magnetism — people are drawn to places where there are folks. That's what we are seeing this weekend," Scott said.

The Lithia Artisans Christmas Faire, at the Historic Ashland Armory opens at 10 a.m. Sunday and closes at 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, see lithiaartisansmarket.com/

Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.