Farmington

Support Michigan vendors at Holiday Shopping Expo

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Nothing but Knit owner Carol Caurdy, of Farmington Hills, pictured with her dog, Nina, will sell scarves for people and their dogs during the Farmington Hills Holiday Shopping Expo. Photo by Deb Jacques Nothing but Knit owner Carol Caurdy, of Farmington Hills, pictured with her dog, Nina, will sell scarves for people and their dogs during the Farmington Hills Holiday Shopping Expo.

The holiday decorations that have begun to overrun local stores and malls are a reminder that it’s time to start thinking about gift giving.

A visit to the fifth annual Holiday Shopping Expo Dec. 7-8 is a great chance to avoid the rush of frantic mall shoppers and also support local businesses and artists.

“Our goal is to create one spot where people can buy a variety of items,” said Bryan Farmer, deputy director of the Farmington Hills Special Services Department, which puts on the expo each year. “The expo is great because shoppers can go to one location to find everything, instead of driving from store to store.”

Held at the Costick Center, the free Holiday Shopping Expo will run from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 7 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 8.

“We’re expecting this to be our biggest one yet,” said Department of Special Services intern Kelley Marcaccio.

This year, close to 80 vendors will showcase an array of gifts and craft items, including jewelry, woodwork, toys, clothing, candles, holiday decorations, baked goods and more.

“We started the expo with around 40 vendors, and now we’re near 80, so we’ve doubled since the beginning. With that, we went from a one-day event to a two-day event last year, so each year we continue to grow,” Farmer added.

During the expo, local artists and business owners will be selling unique and handmade gift items that Farmer attests can’t be found in retail stores. All expo vendors are from Michigan and cover a large demographic, including Macomb, Taylor, Wixom, Garden City, Pontiac, White Lake, Sterling Heights and Lake Orion, as well as Farmington Hills, Farmington, West Bloomfield, Livonia and Northville.

“There are a variety of venders offering pretty much anything you can think of, so if people come, they are going to walk away with something they didn’t realize would be here and be really excited about the purchase,” he said.

Some unique items include handmade mosaic birdhouses, American Girl doll accessories and Thirty-One products, to name a few.

There will be something available at the expo in everyone’s price range, Farmer added.

“There will be items available for as low as $2, all the way up to near $100,” he said.

Before or after shopping, children can also visit Santa, who will make an appearance on both days at the Holiday Shopping Expo for the first time this year. Patrons can bring their cameras and take a free photo, or they can pay $5 to get a photo taken on-site to take home with them.

Food and drinks will also be available for purchase during the event.

The Costick Center is located at 28600 Eleven Mile Road, between Middlebelt and Inkster. 

For more information about the Holiday Shopping Expo, call (248) 473-1803.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.