Nyiesha Showers
The holiday season is here! That means ice-skating, tree lighting, skiing and most of all shopping. With Christmas on its way many are buying gifts for their loved ones. If you're looking for something unique, stylish and affordable you should definitely check out the Union Square Park Holiday Market.
Stationed in the middle of New York's busiest area, Union Square Park is the heart of the Lower East Side. The Park's been opened since 1839 and served as the home base for lots of community events and festivals like the First Labor Day parade and the popular Greenmarket. Winter is nearing and the Holiday Market is back for its 14th year.
There's not a specific type of product sold at the holiday market. At every corner, there's something different. You may smell coffee at one intersection and turn around to find an eco toy company. In fact, Mariette Papic sells eco-friendly toys made from organic cotton and rubber wood. The toys are made from low impact packaging that is also earth friendly. Papic is good friends with the designer who's been in the business for 10 years. The toys are animals such as elephants and monkeys. The price range for the toys are $20- $45. Papic describes the monkey as an ideal holiday gift, saying it has no age group making it ideal for infants, teens and adults.
Across from her vendor sat Tom Hart who specializes in graphic t-shirts. He's been doing this for five years and heard about the market through a friend. His ideal holiday gift would be his hand painted boots that are priced for $150. When asked his biggest competitor he says he hasn't checked out anybody else, but everything there is "random". That brings me to Gili who sells handcrafted candy wrapper handbags. "We have no competition because our stuff's great!" she says. These colorful bags are made of all different candy wrappers.
Down a few stations from Tom was a coffee vendor. The aroma of coffee beans was thick and provided a feeling of warmth. Around the corner was a pastry vendor who sold chocolates and next to him was Shani. Shani sells wine boxes and other wine products from Thailand. She says since the weather's been nice, she's been doing pretty well financially. "It's better than last year,” she says. "Last year was the beginning of the recession. Now everybody’s prepared.” She does admit that people are a bit hesitant. Papic agrees, saying that people are really shopping. “They’re looking before they buy”. According to Fox 5 news, the overall revenue intake on Black Friday increased this year, yet the average amount of money spent per person decreased.
“Our biggest competitor is the economy,” says Panic in reference to the market. Come out and support the local businesses at Union Square Park. They’re there everyday until December 24th. Check out nycgovparks.org for additional information.
