Wapak Christmas market kickstarts holiday season

News Top Stories Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp WAPAKONETA — While others dream of a white Christmas seven weeks away, Mayberry Market brought a “country Christmas” on Saturday to the Auglaize County Fairgrounds. The early celebration moniker served as the group’s theme for its 10th annual Holiday Market, featuring more than 80 vendors offering home decor, boutique clothing, handmade goods, vintage finds and seasonal gifts. The event also welcomed live music, food trucks and a visit from Santa Claus for additional festivities as part of Wapakoneta’s “Holiday Open House Weekend.” Since its inaugural 2018 season, Mayberry Market has held four showcases annually that are dispersed throughout the year, featuring juried, small-business vendors from near and far. Beth Klosterman, co-founder with Betsy Selover, gave insight on her inspiration for the business in light of having its “best night” in company history Friday. “Just to bring something to an area that didn’t have anything like this. There’s nothing like this market within an hour,” Klosterman said. “Yeah, there’s other craft shows, but we’re not a craft show. They just don’t go all out.” Eric Liddic, founder of Eric’s Pretzels in Centerville, started baking pretzels to pay rent in 2023 with $150 to his name, he said. His business has since grown to making “15,000 pretzels a week” and shipping overseas, with its participation in Mayberry Market’s other events this year shaping Liddic’s optimism on potential expansion. “In just the year we’ve been coming up here, we have definitely built a following,” Liddic said. “We even get people ordering from our website up here … It makes it big when we do come up here, and I think people look forward to it.” Jeff Monroe, on the other hand, who runs Jeff’s Backwoods Woodworking in Buckland, makes custom wooden baits, walking sticks, knickknacks and more off of “90% passion.” His positive interactions with passerby at the market, however, have gradually made him more accepting of the business aspect. “I like to make this stuff, but I really didn’t think I’d like to sit here and sell it. I figured if you had a $15 item, someone would want to offer you $12, and that would be a hassle,” Monroe said. “But everybody has been really good, I enjoy the conversation with people. I haven’t run across a negative person here … I enjoy selling more than I ever thought I would.” Jessica Nail, 30, of Wapakoneta, testified to being “a Nov. 1 Christmas person.” Beyond the early celebration, however, she found supporting local businesses at the market to be a joy in itself. “I think it’s really cute, I love seeing little vendors getting to sell their stuff,” Nail said. “… It was the perfect thing to catch up with friends, walk around, see little shops and whatnot.” Reach Peter Bonasso at 567-242-0399. Featured Local Savings