The pop-up holiday gift shop in the Nickels-Sortwell House barn on Federal Street has become a Christmas season tradition in Wiscasset. For several years now, the old barn is temporarily transformed into a cheery and inviting shop full of artisan wares, antique items for ambiance, and a happy place to find unique, useful, and one-of-a-kind gifts.
The holiday gift shop will be open during Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest Friday through Sunday, Dec. 2-4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. More than 20 vendors, most local and all from Maine, will be represented.
According to gift shop coordinator Christine Hopf-Lovette, “Shoppers will find very special wreaths and baskets, jackets and jewelry, home accessories and honey, syrups, and signs, and even small batch chocolates, all at reasonable prices.”
The small batch chocolates are provided courtesy of a new vendor to the Marketfest this year. The Chocolate Pan, is a small artisan chocolate shop based in Belfast. Chocolate Pan owners Jeannette Sedgwick and Robert Pilper will be on site during Marketfest weekend to introduce their confections with swoon-worthy samples.
Also making a first appearance at the gift shop is Alna woodturner Richard Picard. Picard has been bowl turning since 2015 and by his count, “900 or so pieces of wood have been converted to something.”
Another new vendor is the Westport Island-based Misty Isle Cottage. Owner and knitter Ariana Haddy produces knitted pieces that are unique, sometimes whimsical, and always skillfully handcrafted using 100% wool, which Haddy describes as “a natural biodegradable fiber sourced from certified humane vendors.”
For Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest details, go to wiscassetholidaymarketfest.com.
Major Sponsors supporting Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest include Carriage House Gardens, First National Bank, IndustrialME, J. Edward Knight Insurance, Midcoast Federal Credit Union, Red’s Eats, and Wiscasset Ford with additional support from BIRCH Home Furnishings & Gifts, and Old and Everlasting.
Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest is a partnership between Wiscasset Creative Alliance and Wiscasset Area Chamber of Alliance.
