Residents braved the rain Dec. 1 to interact with vendors and sip hot beverages at B&R Farms for Holidays in Hollister: Shop Amongst Blenheims and Bells.
Occurring the first three Saturdays of December, Holidays in Hollister offers San Benito County residents a chance to buy locally made products from boutiques, vendors and merchants of Hollister in one location, with 10 percent of the proceeds donated to local nonprofits.
“It is important to support small businesses and this is an opportunity to do that,” said vendor Jaclyn Bennett of Among Roses Floral Designs. “You will find out about small businesses you wouldn’t see otherwise.”
Among those businesses is The Giggling Peanut, a Hollister-based operation that sells handmade baby accessories by Kristine Cahill, a mother of two.
“I started my business a few years ago after my first baby was born and I did not like the prints I saw in the store,” Cahill said. “Everything is made with quality materials so they are soft and cozy.”
Other Holidays in Hollister vendors sold floral arrangements, desserts, home accessories, olive oil, soaps, succulents and more.
Riley Rossi, daughter-in-law of event coordinator Mari Rossi, said Holidays in Hollister was created not only to give people a place to buy locally made goods, but also to come together for the season.
“Mari loves to decorate, bring people together, bake and see people happy. People selling their handmade creations makes them happy,” said Riley, who was at the event selling her own creations with her business Riley’s Succulents.
Two booths down from Rossi was Janet Locey of Bell Hill Farms, a small Alpine goat dairy. Offering homemade soaps and lotions made from goat milk, Locey said she enjoyed being a vendor at Holidays in Hollister to support the vision of having “local handmade products.”
“It’s a great way to support your local community,” she said.
Participants can take a break from shopping and get a bite from Big Smokin’ Bro BBQ. Winner of the Gilroy Garlic Festival 2017 rib contest, owner and pitmaster David Arias encourages San Benito County residents to attend the multi-weekend event and order a meal from his Hollister-based operation.
“We typically like to use apricot wood to smoke our meats,” Arias said. “Come out to get some award-winning barbeque and to attend a great local event.”
Holidays in Hollister returns Dec. 8 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at B & R Farms, 5280 Fairview Road in Hollister.
For more information, visit the B&R Farms website.
