We are in the midst of Hanukkah and roughly one week away from Christmas and then Kwanzaa. Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis brings us stats and insights into this year's present-getting season.
The air is chilled, the lights are on, it's the 2025 holiday season, and whatever you celebrate, we at Ozarks at Large hope your times are merry and bright. We also hope you avoid the chaos of holiday shopping. If that's a priority for you, cue mental images of stampeding shoppers, it might be advantageous to get your gifts early this year.
According to the National Retail Federation, over 90% of consumers said they plan to shop on Super Saturday, which takes place the weekend before Christmas. And a quick warning — that's this weekend.
The destination for spending is split. Roughly half will shop online and others will go to department or discount brick-and-mortar stores. If you wish to avoid bumping elbows with more than 158 million of your closest friends, either virtually or otherwise, perhaps visit one of the region's local sellers to find the right last-minute gifts for the people on your list. And there are plenty of places to spend your money in northwest Arkansas. But by choosing to shop at a local craft fair or market, you'll support local makers and artists.
“We have probably over 100 artists represented here with all handmade, locally made goods for the home.”
That’s Bryce Brisco, he’s the executive director of the Community Creative Center in downtown Fayetteville. The center is hosting a holiday market that's open daily through Sunday, Dec. 21. And he says there's something for everyone at the center this season.
“We have pottery, books, fibers, leatherworking, woodworking, you name it. Fine art prints. We've got a lot of stuff.”
The Community Creative Center is an arts education nonprofit that regularly hosts free classes and workshops, which are reflected in their holiday market.
“A good percentage of the artists in the gallery do have some connection here, either as teachers or studio members. Some folks are just friends of the center, local artists who are making really high-quality work that we bring in just for this event. Or maybe they work with us throughout the year. We are a community center, um, offering classes, workshops, free classes throughout the year, and everything here supports a local artist in your community. It's handmade by someone local, so it's always great to support a local artist.”
Brisco said he's always able to find a gift at the market.
“I really like the wood turning, so we have artist Keith Kyle who makes some really beautiful turned wood. Uh, we have lots of pottery. Jody Scott is our kind of featured crystalline potter. He's a phenomenal potter from the area. Lots of fine art prints. Laura Neal has some beautiful quilts here. We have some fantastic crochet and fiber work. Um, there's a lot of work here. Like I said, at least 100 artists represented, so come down and check it out for yourself.”
You can visit the center’s website to learn more about the Community Creative Center’s holiday market. You can also find a list of other markets in the area scheduled through this weekend on KUAF’s Community Calendar.
One that habitual gift-givers might want to mark their calendars for is Woodworks Wood Shop’s Last-Minute Market, taking place this Saturday — that’s Super Saturday — at 6302 S. Wilkerson St. in Fayetteville.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
