PERRY, Ga. — If you still have some Christmas shopping to do, you're in luck! The Mistletoe Market is at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry this weekend.
It's a holiday shopping event where you can buy a gift for everyone on your list. Around 100 shops and boutique vendors are there selling anything from clothes and jewelry, to blown glass and BBQ sauce.
Lisa Hays, the chair of Mistletoe Market, says this is the 15th year of the event. They weren't able to have it in 2020 due to the pandemic, but they're back!
Hays says it started when the ladies in the Balvaunuca Club of Perry wanted to go shopping together.
"Rather than getting on a bus and riding around the southeastern United States, we called all our favorite stores and asked them to bring their whole store to us so that we can all shop together under one roof," she said.
Hays is excited that shoppers get to come together again this year. There will be artists, designers, antique vendors, concessions and more. Vendors from Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia will be at the event selling their goods.
Gaye Brannon is the owner of Cutie Patooties on Saint Simons Island. They sell children's clothes for all sizes. She's been at the event since 2014.
"The experience is great," she said. "We see return people every year. We just love it!"
Kelly Gordon, owner of Massey Gordon, is new to the event this year. She's had a small boutique in Perry for the last three years, but is glad to be doing Mistletoe Market for the first time in 2021.
She sells merchandise from around the world, as well as stuff from small artisan vendors. She says this event is a way for her business to "reach a broader audience."
In 2019, the Balvaunuca Club of Perry was able to give $65,000 back to the community. They give to over 25 organizations.
The event is held every year the weekend before Thanksgiving, so you can get that Christmas check-list done before December.
Just in case you don't find everything you need at the market...
"If you don't find it here at Mistletoe Market, you'll certainly find it in downtown Perry," said Hays.
General admission is $5 each day. They are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 12-5 p.m. Sunday.
They are not requiring masks, but they will have hand sanitizing stations around the venue.