The Junior League of Augusta is gearing up for its annual Holiday Market this weekend.
The nonprofit will be hosting the three-day shopping event in Grovetown, with the proceeds of its ticket sales going toward Junior League’s efforts to support women and children in need.
“The Holiday Market is actually not something that’s unique to us here at Augusta,” said Mandy Brown, president of the Junior League of Augusta. Several chapters of the volunteer association have holiday workers, she notes. Augusta’s chapter drew its yearly merriments from the work of Junior Leagues in South Carolina, particularly those in Columbia and Spartanburg.
“We saw how well they did with their holiday market, and the vendors that they were bringing in, and we thought we could do the same here in Augusta, but on a different level,” said Brown, noting a signature difference in that Junior League of Augusta, commensurate with its charter, directly targets merchants and vendors that are women-owned businesses.
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This year will mark the 11th Annual Holiday Market. Festivities include photos with Santa, where kids can take pictures with Kris Kringle in his workshop; musical performances by Bill Karp Jazz and Tom Reed; appearances by princesses, superheroes and even photo ops with the Grinch.
Food trucks will be a new addition to the festival, so that guests can enjoy a bite while shopping. Elizabeth’s Delightful Edibles, Sage and Cedar Organics and Beezee Handmade—which sells handmade shoes and other organic merchandise—will be among the many vendors setting up shop.
Luke Crown, the proprietor of gifts seller The Proper Gander, will be vending at the market for the second time this year. Crown was attracted to its Grovetown location as well as the estimable causes of the Junior League.
“I was very impressed with the turnout,” said Crown about last year’s Holiday Market. “Considering we were coming back from a pandemic, and a lot of stuff was still going on, I was incredibly happy with how many people showed up. It ended up being a massively profitable event.”
While Junior League of Augusta’s community and endowment grants won’t be announced until early next year, its overall mission is addressing food insecurity and generational poverty among women and children throughout the CSRA. Recent recipients include Child Enrichment, Communities in Schools (now RISE Augusta) and the Warren County Schools Community Garden. The League has also donated funds to the Augusta Players’ Wonderland Camp, to help special needs students attend; the Jessye Norman School of the Arts and the Ronald McDonald House.
Brown stresses that Junior League of Augusta strives to support local, but that that parameter is reaches beyond just Richmond and Columbia counties.
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“We assist everyone in the CSRA to the best of our abilities,” Brown said.
The Junior League of Augusta will be hosting its 11th Annual Holiday Market at the Columbia County Exhibition Center, 212 Partnership Drive in Grovetown, from Friday Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Hours are 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets are $10, weekend passes are $15. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit https://www.jlaugusta.org/support-holiday-market/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
