Mistletoe Market in OKC supports vendors, local artists to raise money for community

Mistletoe Market, a three-day, holiday shopping market that raises money for the Junior League of Oklahoma City's community projects, will be held in the Cox Convention Center until Saturday. 

Mistletoe Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. One-day general admission tickets are $10 and children 12 years of age and under are free of charge. 

The market not only aims to raise money for all of the Junior League's community projects, but also to support local artists in the process.

Liza Cryder, 2016 Mistletoe Market chair, said community is one of the biggest aspects of the event.

“The Junior League of OKC wanted to come up with a fun holiday event that the community would love, but it’s also a way for the Junior League to raise money for our community projects,” Cryder said. “So all the money that we raise goes right back into the community."

Last year, Mistletoe Market raised over $200,000, Cryder said.

Meg Rinehart, owner of Local Lather, a soap and scrub shop, said this is her second year to participate in Mistletoe Market. Rinehart's business is fairy new: only 3 years old.

“The goal is obviously growth, always, and Mistletoe Market is one of the larger shows to participate in in Oklahoma City,” Rinehart said. “It was a goal for a long time to try, but when you’re learning and you’re growing and you’re working on your craft, it’s very organic logical steps that you take. When I finally did it last year, I felt very ready to do that.”

Mistletoe Market is a community of artists that allows vendors to make lasting relationships with clients and friends, Rinehart said.

Heather Parsons, owner of Cargo Room, a traveling boutique, thinks that Mistletoe Market is a good opportunity for vendors.

“I love participating and being part of a community, and so I think doing big events, like Mistletoe Market, it’s for a great cause, and it’s just being part of a community,” Parsons said.

One of the biggest misconceptions Mistletoe Market faces is that the market strictly sells Christmas supplies, Cryder said. 

“It’s not just Christmas decor that it is: clothing, kid’s toys, men’s and women’s stuff, we have home decor, we have art, we have food items,” Cryder said. ”It’s really a whole gambit of merchants that we have.”

The market remains labeled as Mistletoe Market because of the familiarity it has built within the Oklahoma community, Cryder said.

“I think it’s a wonderful show,” Parsons said. “I think the (Junior League) is very organized in what they do. They bring a lot of different vendors together, and I think it just works really well so they compliment each other.”

Oftentimes, vendors come from out of town to be at the event. The Junior League does a good job of making them feel welcomed, Cryder said.     

“By being here, they’re helping us raise money for our community, so we want to give back to them,” Cryder said. “It’s just something that’s in the nature of people from this state, and the Junior League volunteers. We’re very proud to have that reputation. We work really hard to make sure that everyone here understands that we can’t do it without them.”

For more information about Mistletoe Market visit https://www.jloc.org/mistletoe-market/.