Poetics of the Handmade Gift Fair

Fatigued by big-brand store queues or seeking to give a gift that’s a little more personal than another mass-produced product? This Saturday, December 3, you can opt to give the gift of goods homegrown, handcrafted, and heartfelt, when The Lower Lodge hosts Poetics of the Handmade, a self-described “Maker’s Market” alongside Mission Creek. Hosted by the wife/husband artist duo of Hannah Vainstein and Nathan Hayden, the pop-up holiday market will feature seasonal Santa Barbaran–made decorations, clothes, and more, with baked goods from Lori’s Cakes; coffee, tea, and cider from The French Press; and live music from S.B.’s The Phone Booth.

Vainstein, who makes a variety of artisanal woolen wears and crafts in her on-site studio, has opened her residence as a way of supporting artisans and bringing a sense of empowerment back to makers and buyers both. Shoppers seeking new clothes can find handprinted bags, knitted hats, ceramics, and more. There will also be deluxe leather bags, wallets, and other goods from Make Smith Leather, hand-knitted children’s crowns and beanies from Sun Circles, children’s clothes from Vanara Motif, and vintage clothes from Alone Together and Cache Cache. For more decorative items, there will be holiday wreaths and succulent jewelry from Ella & Louie Floral Studio, handmade drums and rattles from Vanara Motif, burden baskets and bowls woven by Nanette Sullano, soothing salves from Moon Minded Medicine, hand-thrown porcelain and stoneware from Churchill Ceramics, beeswax candles from Solar Sticks, and moon calendars from Circle and Crescent.

The festive occasion will be the first ever market at the historical house, which was built in 1890 as the garage and chauffeur’s home to two Mission Canyon mansions. Surrounded by towering sycamores and a friendly flock of chickens, the rustic abode will make for a spellbinding venue for this charmingly handcrafted, warm-hearted afternoon.