BEVERLY — A group of artisans originally organized for the Beverly Art Walk will reconvene for the holidays.
The Uprising Handmade Holiday Market will showcase original work from some 30 craftsmen from noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the Blue Island Beer Co. The free event will take over the suburban brewery at 13357 Olde Western Ave.
"It's really great to give a gift to someone that is handmade and has a lot of thought put into it," said Jane Zia, who is organizing the event as an off-shoot of the Beverly Area Arts Alliance.
Zia said the idea for the holiday market came shortly after coordinating a similar showcase for the annual art walk — the signature event for the neighborhood art alliance.
During the art walk, artisans and crafters gathered in the parking lot of County Fair Foods in Morgan Park. All enjoyed healthy sales, making the addition of a holiday fair a foregone conclusion, Zia said.
Most of the artists featured in the upcoming holiday market are from the Beverly area or have roots in the Far Southwest Side. And yet the items that they'll bring the fair offer an eclectic mix, including homemade comic books, exotic hats, unique soaps and more, Zia said.
All of the artists responsible for the items on sale will be present to answer questions and chat with customers. Thus, shoppers won't find anyone selling items from a catalog or home-party vendors, Zia said.
It's in keeping with this homespun approach that organizers looked to the Blue Island Beer Co. as a host. The craft brewery produces and sells its own beer. It also participated in the last Beverly Art Walk as a vendor.
Hosting the vent in the suburb just south of the city limit also shows that the artist community founded in Beverly is growing, said Zia, a Morgan Park resident.
"We are just kind of expanding our reach," she said.
Besides handmade items and beer, the all-ages holiday market will also have a DJ to provide music. The Creme of the Crop food truck will also be on hand to satisfy any hungry shoppers with its farm-to-table munchies.
"There is nothing around here like this," Zia said. "There's a lot of buzz about it."
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