Holiday Market features local vendors, products and Santa Claus

Those stopping by the Holiday Market on Pioneer Way in downtown Oak Harbor might see some familiar faces from the farmers’ markets during the summer. “It’s nice to have something to do in the off season,” said Lisa Phillips, beekeeper and Round Tuit Farms owner. Phillips is selling honey at the market. She has six hives that she looks after on Whidbey Island. If anyone has questions about honey, Phillips is the person to ask. She has plenty of samples to make sure people can find the right honey for them. She also sells honey from four other beekeepers, so there is a variety of honey to try.

Those stopping by the Holiday Market on Pioneer Way in downtown Oak Harbor might see some familiar faces from the farmers’ markets during the summer.

“It’s nice to have something to do in the off season,” said Lisa Phillips, beekeeper and Round Tuit Farms owner.

Phillips is selling honey at the market. She has six hives that she looks after on Whidbey Island.

If anyone has questions about honey, Phillips is the person to ask. She has plenty of samples to make sure people can find the right honey for them. She also sells honey from four other beekeepers, so there is a variety of honey to try.

Other local products include soaps. Both Scott Thomas, owner of Oak Harbor Soap Company, and Fabiola Tercero, owner of True Soap Company, make their products locally.

Thomas’ daughter used to buy him local soaps wherever she went. When he came to Oak Harbor, he wanted to do the same for her. Since he couldn’t find any at the time, he decided to make soap himself.

Tercero learned how to makes soap because her oldest son has autism and sensitive skin. She started making soap for him, and the practice evolved into a business. Her soaps range from shaving soap with mustache designs, to unscented soap for people with sensitive skin.

“I like to make it fun and pretty without compromising the ingredients,” Tercero said.

All the vendors selling fabric-made items agreed that the Seahawks-themed products are selling fast. Peggy Davenport, Peggy’s Creations owner, said her Seahawks purses are popular this year. Last year she sold more Washington State Cougars and University of Washington Huskies purses.

“You can’t buy the fabric — it’s simply out of stock.” said Mary Fyfe, Blanket Creations owner.

Fyfe sews fleece blankets and has a little Seahawks fabric left. Unless a client has some more, she can’t get any for a while.

Other vendors are family-run operations. Sarah Seelow, S&G Plates co-owner, works with her mother Gail Seelow to make decorative glass plates by gluing and spraying fabric to make designs. The plates also can be used as serving platters.

“It’s good mother-daughter quality time,” Seelow said.

Others have picked up their crafts from hobbies. Chuck Reffitt started his hobby two years ago.

“Stumbled into it when I retired,” said Reffitt, Chuck’s Pens owner.

He found it as a creative and fun way to spend his time and began making pens and pepper grinders.

Kent Sanders found it as a way to pass time at his job. Sanders mines for gold in the Bering Sea and finds beach glass in his down time. He started  Au Sum Jewelry to use the beach glass for jewelry. He also works with silver and will do custom work for clients.

The market is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7-8. Santa will also be around at certain times during Friday and Saturday. It will also be open the next two weekends.

A few of the vendors will be changing over the next couple weeks, so people are encouraged to come back and see the new products.