VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Harvey’s Garden’s 3rd annual Holiday Market showcases local artists
Kelsey Jones: On Saturday, Syracuse locals gathered at Harvey’s Garden for the third annual holiday vendor market. Friends and family came to enjoy food, music and a chance to get ahead on their holiday shopping with vendors selling everything from jewelry to wine-infused fruit snacks.
Shopper: I don’t know if it’s because there’s so many people up here. They must have the heat on.
Jones: But the Harvey’s Holiday Market isn’t just a place for locals to do some shopping for the holidays. It’s also a place for young artists like Chloe and Alexandra to showcase their art in person.
Jones: Alexandra McLellend is the owner and artist behind Pretty Nice Paintings. She sells her land and city scape paintings at low prices believing everyone should be able to own art.
Alexandra McLellend: I want art to be accessible.
Jones: McLellend’s business primarily operates through online platforms like Etsy, but she appreciates opportunities like these to sell her work face-to-face.
McLellend: It seems that art doesn’t really seem to sell as well online, or at least that’s been my experience. People really like coming in person and touching the art. It’s really the best way to get out there.
Jones: Chloe Phelps appreciates the opportunity for another reason. She finds markets like these help build the Syracuse community, an important step for a business selling lots of Syracuse themed merchandise.
Chloe Phelps: Being in Syracuse, I think most people that are born here understand, for whatever reason, Syracuse just is home, it feels like home. So I think a lot of people here can relate to that.
Jones: Just 22-years-old, Phelps has built a large audience for her small business. Chloe Joy Co. unexpectedly took off during the COVID-19 pandemic with one pair of hand-painted sneakers.
Phelps: I made a pair for myself, I ended up posting them on Etsy, and it kind of blew up. It wasn’t really a plan to start a business, it just kind of took off, and I went with it and now we’re here doing more than just shoes now.
Jones: Now selling everything from custom embroidery to hand-painted cups, Phelps is grateful for the friendships and the community she’s gained through her business.
Phelps: You do really get to know people.
Jones: For these two young artists, this holiday season is more than a business opportunity. It’s a chance to create connections and better their community, one painting or shoe at a time. For NCC News, I’m Kelsey Jones.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – On Saturday, Dec. 6, Syracuse locals gathered at Harvey’s Garden for the third annual Holiday Vendors Market. Attendees enjoyed live music, Toss and Fire pizza and some early holiday shopping.
Local vendors set up shop in the loft of the bar from noon to six, selling everything from handmade jewelry to wine-infused gummies.
For some vendors, however, the market offered more than an opportunity to make a little bit of cash. It was a place to showcase their art in a face-to-face environment.
Syracuse native Alexandra McLellend is the owner and artist behind Pretty Nice Paintings. She sells her cityscape and landscape paintings at low prices, holding the belief that anyone should be able to afford art.
“I want art to be accessible,” McLellend said.
Pretty Nice Paintings primarily operates through online platforms like Etsy. However, McLellend appreciates opportunities like the Holiday Market to sell her work in-person.
“It seems that art doesn’t really seem to sell as well online, or at least that’s been my experience,” McLellend said. “People really like coming in-person and touching the art. It’s really the best way to get out there.”
Chloe Phelps, another young artist vending at the market, appreciates such opportunities for another reason. She finds events like these help build the Syracuse community, an important step for a business selling quite a bit of Syracuse themed merchandise.
“Being in Syracuse, I think most people that are born here understand, for whatever reason, Syracuse just is home, it feels like home,” Phelps said. “So I think a lot of people can relate to that.”
Just 22-years-old, Phelps has built a large audience for her small business. Chloe Joy Co. unexpectedly took off during the COVID-19 pandemic with one pair of hand-painted sneakers.
“I made a pair for myself, I ended up posting them on Etsy, and it kind of blew up,” Phelps said. “It wasn’t really a plan to start a business, it just kind of took off and I went with it, and now we’re here doing more than just shoes now.”
Currently selling everything from custom embroidery to hand-painted to-go cups, Phelps is grateful for the friendships and the community she has gained from her business.
“You really do get to know people,” Phelps said.
For these two young artists, this holiday season is more than a business opportunity. It is a chance to create connection and better their community, one painting, or one shoe, at a time.