The Holiday Stroll Indoor Market in Old Wethersfield returns on Thursday, providing holiday fun including horse and carriage rides, treats, carolers and tree lighting.
This marks the second year in a row that the Makers with Moxie and Heirloom Market are combining for the event at Comstock Ferre, which will run from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday. The market is a part of the Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce event Holidays on Main.
Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre is located at 263 Main St. in Wethersfield. It opened in 2016 and features an on-site cafe, local, organic and GMO-free groceries as well as basic household items as well as gardening supplies and Baker Creek’s heirloom seeds.
The Makers with Moxie is a collaboration of women artisans and makers in Connecticut that “sprang out of the perceived need by admins of the group for better pop-up market coordination, marketing and curation,” according to the organization.
According to the website, Makers with Moxie is “a women-led collaborative that works with small businesses such as breweries and food venues or anywhere that a pop-up market is possible. You supply the venue, we supply everything from the artisans to the marketing.”
The partnership hopes to offer the “shopping experience of the season,” according to Makers with Moxie.
North Haven’s Stacey Burwell, one of the founders of Makers with Moxie, said the event is great for families.
“We have 14 vendors set up and this will be a great event for the entire family,” Burwell said. “Santa is coming as well as the tree lighting. Our vendors will be set up inside for people to come in and get some food and some hot chocolate.
“It’s also a great event to shop for the holidays,” Burwell added. “Our vendors love working this event. It’s a great place to be. The food is good, and Old Wethersfield is just a wonderful place to be.”
Vendors at the event will be offering jewelry, pottery, candles, stained glass, chocolates and macrame.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Burwell said. “We like to mix it up with our vendors. Everything is 100 percent handmade in Connecticut, and the quality of the products is fantastic.”
Bristol’s Heather Torre, another founder of Makers with Moxie, said people who come to their events usually come with the intention of shopping.
“There are a ton of people that come through and with us getting the word out, people will know there will be vendors,” Torre said. “It’s going to be a fun night and there will be horse and buggy rides to the tree lighting.”
Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre owner Julia Koulouris said the event brings a lot of people to the street.
“The line for the horse and buggy ride is right outside of our entrance and that’s great for us and great for the vendors,” Koulouris said. “The vendors and the shop did well last year and with all of the hype this year, we are excited about Thursday. This goes hand in hand with the magic of the holidays.”
Koulouris said downtown Wethersfield is picturesque and walkable and has grown in the last nine years she and her husband, Spiro Koulouris, have owned Heirloom.
“This town really thrives this time of year,” Julia Koulouris said. “It starts in the fall and then in October, it explodes as everyone celebrates fall in New England. There is a little bit of a lull just before Thanksgiving and then it explodes again for Christmas.”
