The Athens Art Guild hosted its 17th annual Holiday Shoppe on Saturday and Sunday, transforming the Athens Community Center into a bustling marketplace of regional creativity.
More than 40 local artisans filled the gym with rows of handcrafted jewelry, woodwork, textiles and holiday gifts, while the smell of kettle corn drifted in from the food trucks outside and live music echoed through the building.
Visitors browsed, weaving between tables as local singers, the Cherry Blossoms String Duo and the Athens Recorder Consort Quartet, performed. Outside, food trucks from Asian Fusion Cuisine, LoveBites Nelsonville and Grandpa’s Old Fashioned Kettle Corn added to the holiday celebrations.
This year’s shoppe also featured a raffle, with artisans contributing handmade items. Visitors dropped tickets into small bags at each table for a chance to win.
Among the weekend’s many vendors was Anthony Massie, owner of Traveling Toad’s Workshop LLC and a woodworker from McConnelsville, Ohio.
Massie creates wooden toys inspired by Appalachian traditions, including puzzle boxes, spinning tops and push toys made from natural, unstained wood.
“My dad was a carpenter, so I had a little experience there,” Massie said. “I always had interest in it, but never really committed myself until this.”
Massie said what keeps him committed now is the material itself.
“You’re taking a tree and you’re transforming it into a whole different thing,” he said. “I find that brilliant.”
Across the gym, Kathy Abfall, owner of Mockingbird Ridge, showcased alcohol ink artwork and jewelry. A former quilter, Abfall said her journey unfolded unexpectedly.
“I’ve always been a quilter and I used a fabric called batik,” Abfall said.
Batik, as described by Yanmao, is an “art of wax, color and time” where wax and dye meet and form patterns.
“I wanted to put that kind of look onto metal and into earrings,” Abfall said. “It morphed into pendants and then painting, and it took on a life of its own.”
Abfall said this year marked her final Holiday Shoppe as a vendor.
“It’s been a great adventure, but 20 years is enough,” Abfall said. “I’m over 70 now, so this is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. It doesn’t mean I’m going to stop this, but I won’t be selling.”
A longtime member of the Athens Art Guild, Abfall donated all of her proceeds from the weekend to the Athens Food Pantry.
“We all have a creative side, and it’s something that I hope everybody tries to look at sometime in their life,” Abfall said. “You never know what you can do until you try.”
At another table, Bill and Louise Goebel of Renaissance Farms displayed their silk eco-printed clothing, including scarves, tops and fabric pieces imprinted with leaves and flowers from their 40-acre farm in McArthur.
“The way we do it is (by) using heat, pressure and mordants, which are natural chemicals you can use to help lock the fiber in,” Bill Goebel said. “What we’re trying to do is lock molecules of the color of the plant material and bind it with the materials of the fiber itself.”
Bill Goebel said he and Louise Goebel were in the alpaca business, reading, showing and processing their fibers, before shifting to ecoprinting.
“We needed something to do in the summer,” he said. “I had never seen (ecoprinting) before and I was fascinated by it, because we have a 40-acre farm filled with trees and plants of all types.”
The couple has been part of the Athens Art Guild for several years and said the organization plays a significant role in supporting both artisans and the wider region of Southern Ohio.
“The opportunities that this affords in terms of learning … but also to make some money is what we find through this group,” Bill Goebel said. “Southern Ohio is a nice cultural oasis. That’s right up our alley because we like doing stuff that’s environmentally friendly, soul-satisfying and beautiful.”
As the Holiday Shoppe concluded Sunday afternoon, artisans packed up their tables and visitors carried bags of handmade gifts, evidence of a local tradition that continues to grow.
Massie said the Shoppe allows him to share his craft with a variety of people.
“I enjoy sharing the history of the toys,” Massie said. “I really enjoy being part of the community and introducing people to these toys (and) newer generations who never grew up with them.”
