Deptford hosted its annual holiday bazaar at the community center’s gymnasium on Nov. 2, opening the Christmas season with small businesses and craft vendors.
According to the township, the event featured a couple hundred people over five hours, with more than 50 vendors participating. This year’s annual bazaar was the township’s third, and according to Mayor Paul Medany, who was in attendance, the most successful to date.
“It was the most successful holiday bazaar yet,” he said of the bazaar, which was announced on Facebook. “We didn’t keep track of who was coming in, but we estimate there was roughly a couple hundred people who came by.”
On offer were homemade holiday ornaments; sports clothing and holiday attire; hand-sewn stuffed animals; and custom beaded bracelets, to name a few. Some of the vendors were kids who were creating art during the event for sale. Local businesses included Basil’s Charms, Color Street, Deptford Art Studio and Worth the Wheat.
Special needs students from Deptford Middle School worked in the kitchen to provide coffee and desserts, and food trucks were also on hand.
“They (the vendors) put a lot of work into their crafts and there was a whole variety of folks,” said Medany. “There were vendors run by varying age groups who decided to do something with this hobby of theirs. Seeing these people make these crafts and seeing people enjoy what people made was something special.”