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Shopping for any holiday can be stressful, but the Williamsport Sun-Gazette looks to take the edge off finding that perfect gift for mom as it hosts its first annual Mother's Day Market on Saturday, May 11.
The market, to be held in the old press area of the building, 252 W. Fourth St., boasts over 20 vendors offering a variety of trades ranging from clocks to custom jewelry to healthy living tips.
"This is our first Mother's Day Market and there is something for everyone to check out," said singles sales manager Cathy Hendricks, who organized the event. "It's a great space and it's inside, so there's no need to worry if it's raining."
"We have DLE Designs, they do nice wood carving, and we have Patti's Fairy Gardens. She specializes in fairy gardens and potted succulents," Hendricks said as she showed a couple of works based on the Marvel character, Groot, she had purchased from the crafter.
The expo will also feature works from Tim's Treasured Trinkets as well as DJC Crafting Dreams, who specializes in personalized items, including tumblers.
For those who work up an appetite browsing through the many vendors and crafters, several tasty options will be available to leave shoppers feeling full and satisfied.
"Mark Williams of Simple Baking With Chef Mark is going to be here and he does excellent pastries. His desserts shouldn't be legal, they're so good," Hendricks said. "And Flavorful will be here with their pastries and specialty drinks."
"We're also going to have Tag's Take Out & Italian Specialty Store set up out back by the dock," Hendricks said. "They're gonna do spaghetti and meatballs, meatball sandwiches and other things like that. ... They actually called me to get involved, and I was like, 'Great! That works for me.'"
The Mother's Day Market follows on the heels of Hendricks' first expo for the newspaper back in February for Valentine's Day.
That expo hosted 14 vendors and saw around 100 patrons pass through, picking up last-minute gifts for that special someone in their life.
"All the vendors that came to the Valentine's Day expo said to me, 'you know, this is a great idea,'" Hendricks said. "Everybody loved it."
"After that one, many of the vendors said, 'We would definitely come back to do it again.' ... We've got some great new vendors, but a lot of them were here for Valentine's Day," she added.
The location of the expo also adds a bit of intrigue as patrons and vendors alike are able to get a glimpse of the printing press equipment.
"A lot of people came in and saw the press, and some of the equipment still has paper on it, which I didn't even realize until then," Hendricks said. "I see that equipment every day and never even noticed it."
The reception to the Valentine's Day expo and the continued interest from vendors for the Mother's Day Market already has Hendricks cooking up ideas for her next event.
"We're planning on having a fall expo, most likely in September," she said. "We're looking to have people who specialize in different types of bikes -- regular bicycles, mountain bikes, and other things to do outside, and possibly a table by the Fish and Game Commission."
"We're also hoping to reach out to the state police about participating because the credentials needed to become an officer have recently changed," she added.
"That one might be the last that we do for the year, unless I can talk them into a couple other ideas I have," Hendricks joked.
The Mother's Day Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to the public.