Shop Local with the Arts Council of Lake Oswego Holiday Marketplace

Shop Local with the Arts Council of Lake Oswego Holiday Marketplace

by | Nov 28, 2020 | Art, Events, Features, Lifestyle, News, Upcoming Events

Portland, OR. You could find your next Christmas gift at the Arts Council of Lake Oswego Holiday Marketplace. It showcases work from over 30 local artists including fine art, wood, ceramics, jewelry, handmade gifts, ornaments, textiles, confections, accessories, and more. The Holiday Marketplace is open for in-person, online, and curbside pickup shopping from Nov 28 to Dec 30.

During the two-week freeze that started on Nov 18th by order of Oregon Gov Kate Brown, the Holiday Marketplace is able to still offer in-person shopping with a lowered capacity that is limited to ten people including employees.

“I think what’s great about it is that we still are able to offer some sort of in-person shopping experience and from artists who are local,” Executive Director, Nicole Nathan, said. “So, while it may look a little bit different, we’re still able to offer the same core [values] at the heart of what we do and support our artists while also supporting the artistic community in Lake Oswego.”

The 2019 Holiday Marketplace.

In its fourth year, the Holiday Marketplace is one of the only in-person local gatherings of artists for the Portland and Lake Oswego area. Purchases directly benefit the artists and community-enriching programming of the Arts Council and this year the Holiday Marketplace can be found at the ARTspace Gallery.

For those who would like to stay local and stay safe while shopping, an online option will be available for the first time due to COVID-19 coinciding with the opening day of the Holiday Marketplace on Nov 28. The online shopping platform won’t feature everything from the gallery, instead, a few pieces of work from this years’ artists will be available to browse.

Nathan believes that this will be a good option for those who either live far away or might be sheltering place, because of travel restrictions, since they might not be able to come by in person. The online Holiday Marketplace will be able to reach those from further afield and still be able to enjoy some work, by local artists, or artists who they love and have seen before.

Some of the artwork offered at the Holiday Marketplace last year.

With restrictions in place, the Holiday Marketplace will look different this year with fewer wearables such as clothing and textiles. Vendors will also be further spread out to adhere to the six-foot guidelines. With the few pieces of clothing that are offered those will be disinfected between each visitor among other extra precautions.

ARTspace Gallery is taking all the safety precautions for a safe visit including:

  • Face masks are required to visit
  • Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the gallery
  • Safe distance decals and public capacity are enforced
  • Sanitizing and cleaning after visitors
  • Contact-tracing – provide information where the public can check-in
  • Requesting people to stay home if not feeling well

According to Nathan, “We have an incredible number of artists who’ve been with us in past years and some new work as well. There’s some beautiful work, that you can get for yourself or your loved ones; It’s really in great support of not only our artists but helps support the arts council throughout the year.”

From the Arts Council of Lake Oswego website: The Arts Council of Lake Oswego works to ensure that arts are an integral part of life in our community, now and into the future.

Christmas For Kids Modifies Event For First Time In Thirty Years

Christmas For Kids Modifies Event For First Time In Thirty Years

by | Nov 14, 2020 | Events, Features, Fundraisers, News, nonprofit

Portland, OR. For over 30 years, Christmas For Kids has helped with holiday shopping sprees for deserving kids hand-selected by their school counselors. Unfortunately, the annual volunteer event pictured above in 2019, won’t look the same this year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, volunteers won’t be on hand to help with the shopping. Typically, students work with a Christmas for Kids shopper, and together they check off a Christmas list which usually includes things like needed clothes and coats. Volunteers are vital because they often augment allotted funds to help make wishlists complete.

A young girl, followed by her volunteer shopper, pushes her cart around while looking at plush animals during last year’s event.

Bill Wilson, a board member at Christmas For Kids, explains the decision to modify the event. “It’s kind of heartbreaking with COVID and then so many people losing their jobs or being furloughed or unemployed. The need is even greater this year than it has been in the past and it’s sad that we can’t have the event.”

According to Wilson, the nonprofit doesn’t want to risk spreading COVID-19, and that’s why volunteers must stay home. But organizers hope those generous individuals will make a contribution to the bottom line. Last year, the volunteer shoppers donated $15,000 to help complete shopping lists.

A child is fitted for a coat during last year’s event.

Christmas For Kids helps around 450-500 children each year and since 2004 the organization has helped over 9,800 kids. This year the list of worthy recipients is over 1,000. While volunteers won’t be present this year sponsors like superstore Fred Meyers, are promising to bring in additional staff and people to help on the day of the event. Items to expect this year include packaged clothing for girls and boys such as socks, underwear, fleece blankets, fleece coats, and fleece beanies. These packages will also include mystery merchandise from Columbia Sportswear Company.

Tigard Police attends and hands out teddy bears from the event last year.

Partnering with Fred Meyers has given the organization a substantial discount as well as discounts for items from Columbia. This allows the organization to maximize the amount they can give to the children.

With a larger goal of helping kids this Christmas, according to Wilson, the organization is going to be spending more money than they had anticipated due to the high need this year. To help with Christmas For Kids donations click here.

A combination of donated funds, donated items, and volunteer efforts keep overhead low; 95¢ of every $1.00 donated is spent on the children.

From Christmas For Kids website:

Christmas for Kids is a magical event where local Portland, Oregon Metro area kids are selected by their Title One School counselors, due to extreme need, to join a volunteer shopper to check off a Christmas wishlist. Our focus is to provide basic clothing needs for the child and their immediate siblings.

A combination of donated funds, donated items (coats, books, hygiene items, etc.), vastly reduced prices, and volunteer contributions create a unique situation in our organization where, on average, over 95¢ of every dollar donated is spent on the child on the day of the event.