The Hester Street Fair wrapped its seventh season on the Lower East Side last month. But the gang has big plans for the off-season, beginning with today’s kickoff of a holiday market at the South Street Seaport.
It will operate at 117 Beekman St. through Dec. 24 (11 a.m.-8 p.m.) The Hester Street Fair has rounded up 30 of their favorite independent designers and artisans for the holiday market. Each weekend, they’ll also be offering special programming (a food and music series) in the outdoor plaza.
This past season, Christina Y, Elise McMahon and David Komerek took the lead in organizing the weekly LES fair. We stopped by on their closing weekend, Oct. 29, to talk with Elise and Christina. They are looking forward to returning next year for an eighth season on the Lower East Side. In 2016, they found success with special events programming, such as Jamaican Independence Day and the Casual Art Show. You can expect more happenings of this type in 2017. The team was new to the NYC market game this year. Said Christina, “We definitely learned that it is competitive. Special programming is key.”
The Hester Street Fair has always been an incubator of new businesses, and this year was no exception. Promising newcomers include: Tuson Sate, Matzabrei, Hunt & Gather Shop and Smoothie Beauty.
In addition to the Seaport holiday fair, the Hester Street Fair is operating a shop at Art Basel in Miami. For more information about their winter events, click here.
