Craft Market Hopes to Attract Holiday Shoppers

If you're looking for a wealth of unique, handmade gifts to give this holiday season, you should mark your calendars for a unique craft market that will be held locally this weekend.

Handmade Hive will be held at the Leithsville Fire Co. Social Hall Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 from 8am to 8pm.

There will be a $3 admission fee, with a portion of the fee benefiting the Leithsville Building Fund.

That fund was established to help defray rebuilding costs not covered by insurance for the Leithsville Fire Station, which was destroyed in a May 2012 accident.

In addition to 30 craft vendors, the Handmide Hive will offer kids' "make and take projects" (Friday and Saturday from 10am to noon), giveaways, a DIY T-Shirt Scarf Demo (Friday at 1pm), craft challenges (Saturday at 11am and 3pm) and live music.

"We created this concept (for the Handmade Hive) because we are a trio of crafters who just don't have the time to 'man' a display at a craft show," said show organizer Ashley Laudenslager of Coopersburg.

The two other "Queen Bees" responsible for putting together the event are Courtney Doncevic of Hellertown and Kelsey Nester of Catasauqua.

Laudenslager said she and her partners also wanted to help other crafters who are "just starting out in the crafting world," and to inspire customers as well.

"We want to 'revive' craft shows and make them cool again," she said. "(The) bottom line is that we want it to be a fun and relaxed atmosphere."

More information about the Handmide Hive is available online at www.handmadehive.com.

Plans are for the Hive to be a semi-annual event, with the next indoor market scheduled to take place in the spring.