Preparation for winter holiday arts market BrrrZAAR started months ago for most vendors

Some people are very specific about the “right” time to focus on the holidays. There are those who start decorating as soon as Thanksgiving leftovers are in the fridge, while others aren’t in any hurry to untangle the string lights they tossed in the attic after last year’s festivities.

For Flourish Botanicals soapmaker Liz Mirriam, who is participating in BrrrZAAR, Terrain’s annual winter arts market, the holidays started at the end of summer. Because of the lengthy curing time for the soap, hair care and facial bars she crafts, she had to order extra ingredients in September, make her soaps in October, scaling up production by nearly double, and let them cure until November in preparation for this holiday market season.

“I’m always a season ahead of everybody,” she said.

Printmaker Sarah Windisch, too, has been in preparation mode for months, though according to them, they’re never really not in preparation mode. Creation for BrrrZAAR, Windisch said, will continue until Saturday morning when shoppers begin arriving.

Mirriam has participated in markets since founding Flourish Botanicals, which offers a variety of vegan, plastic-free, “eco luxury” products, in 2019, while Windisch, whose comical, colorful prints adorn mugs, stickers and clothing, is newer to the market scene.

The way both makers see it, markets like BrrrZAAR are essential for the life of a small business.

“It’s meeting people face to face who are excited about my products, excited about small businesses, excited about handmade items and specialty items that they can’t get commercially,” Mirriam said. “I am friends with all the vendors, so we all hang out and have a fun time together, help each other out as needed.”

That face-to-face time with customers is important for Windisch, too, in a way even more important than sales.

“I obviously want to sell my art and I want to provide for myself and my family with it, but it makes my heart so happy when people see some goofy caption or a screaming marmot and crack up,” they said. “The people who walk by and laugh, they’ve given me something better than money.”

BrrrZAAR takes over River Park Square from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The juried event features 72 local creators selling everything from artwork and leather goods to home goods and clothing.

BrrrZAAR also features a day of live music: Rosie CQ (noon), Bob Riggs (1 p.m.), Jenny Anne Mannan (2 p.m.), Dario R (3 p.m.), Hannah Siglin (4 p.m.), John Wayne Williams (5 p.m.), Tristan Hart Pierce and Emily Schrock (6 p.m.) and Andy Rumsey (7 p.m.). There will also be activities for children provided by Art Salvage from noon to 5 p.m.

Now in its sixth year, BrrrZAAR came after years of people asking Ginger Ewing, executive director and co-founder of Terrain, and Jackie Caro, operations director of Terrain, for a winter version of Bazaar, the organization’s annual summer art market.

Ewing was initially reluctant to stretch Terrain’s small staff too thin by adding another event to the calendar, especially one so soon after the organization’s flagship event in October. But when River Park Square reached out to Terrain about an arts market, Ewing said it was like the stars had aligned.

BrrrZAAR typically receives about 160 applications from makers looking to receive one of about 70 spots. They’re only able to fit so many booths in the mall, Caro said, so the external jury must narrow down the applications, looking for diversity in every way.

“Part of it is diversity in your medium, what you’re making, and trying to have as much of an eclectic mix as possible …” Ewing said. “We also talk about diversity of artists, and so we’re looking at cultural diversity, different perspectives. It’s a lot of different layers that go into making the perfect mix for this particular event, but the key is diversity. Diversity in artists, diversity in perspective, diversity in price points, diversity in mediums that are being offered.”

Jurors also hone in on the quality of a maker’s booth display, knowing makers are going to have a more successful day if they have an engaging booth.

Because limited capacity makes it impossible to host as many makers as they do during the outdoor Bazaar, Caro and Ewing encourage shoppers to also stop by From Here, a retail extension of Terrain, located in River Park Square, during BrrrZAAR for access to even more products from local makers.

Like Bazaar, 50% of a maker’s items at BrrrZAAR must be $100 or less. Ewing and Caro said this was an intentional choice made with the first Bazaar in 2013 to make their events as accessible as possible while also helping to create long-term relationships between buyers and makers.

“A 20-year-old college student who can’t afford a $2,000 painting, but you can afford a $25 print, and you find an artist to love that you create a relationship with,” Ewing said. “Five years down the line, 10 years down the line, 15 years down the line, when you can afford that $2,000 painting, you have a built-in relationship with and an appreciation for that particular person’s art.

“And maybe there’s never a time where you can afford or want to buy a $2,000 painting, but there’s always going to be something for everyone, whether it’s a $3 sticker, a $30 mug or a $300 painting. Again, we want there to be things for everyone who attends the event.”

When looking over this year’s participants, Caro said there are 27 makers brand new to BrrrZAAR, a fact Ewing said she’s most excited about.

“One of the things that I’m always in continual awe of is I feel like ‘OK, we’re going to plateau. Whether it’s our flagship event, whether it’s Bazaar, BrrrZAAR, we know of or we’ve touched upon most of the artists in this town,’ ” she said. “And every year we’re proven wrong. But you have 27 people out of the 70 booths who’ve never participated in BrrrZAAR before, that’s a testament to how strong and vibrant our arts community is, is that there’s this many new people continually participating in our events.”

The seemingly endless community of artists and makers, Ewing said, is a big part of what makes Spokane a vibrant, empathetic place to live. Programming like BrrrZAAR which allows patrons to support those artists and makers plays a big part too.

It’s events like BrrrZAAR and other art markets in town that Mirriam said helps people support their neighbors and create stronger communities.

“All of the vendors work so, so hard, and they stay up so late the night before, and they pour so much time and love into everything they create, whether it’s art, skincare or pottery,” she said. “Whatever it is they’re making, everyone’s giving 110%. I celebrate all of those people, because they’re all working so hard that day to share their beautiful creations.”