Markeshia Ricks Photo
“Elves” busily constructing greenhouses at Temple Plaza.
Potter Hannah Leckman will be bringing her pottery to the Holiday Village.
Elves were spotted in the shadow of the Temple Street Parking Garage, but they weren’t building toys. They were building a forthcoming New Haven “Holiday Village” set to open in Temple Plaza Thursday and featuring gifts by local artists and craftspeople.
Mayor Toni Harp and the city’s business and economic development administration stopped by Monday to check out the progression of the Village, which sprang up in the plaza almost overnight. The outdoor market runs from Thursday through Sunday.
The “elves” weren’t from the North Pole but from 212 Exchange Street LLC, a Dixwell Avenue-based contracting company.
“We’ve been working 24/7 around the clock making sure that these greenhouses were ready to go by Thursday,” 212 Exchange co-owner Kayla Murray said while supervising the work on site. “The city reached out to us, and we’re excited about this project. They look great.”
Acting City Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli (at left in photo) said that the Village will be an opportunity to showcase 16 local vendors and create a place for people to enjoy the holidays in the Elm City. He called the temporary offerings complementary to the brick and mortar businesses.
He pointed out that such markets are common in bigger cities like New York and Montreal and that the retail market has become quite competitive thanks to online shopping.
“We’re creating an opportunity to identify gifts that are more unique,” he said.
Ethan Rodriguez-Torrent of Escape New Haven talks to Mayor Toni Harp about the puzzles that people can try during the Holiday Village.
Mayor Toni Harp noted that starting Thursday at noon, when the Village opens, people will be able to get gifts “that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.”
Elinor Slomba, founder of Art Interstices and Verge Art Group, was busy walking artists and vendors through the Village’s greenhouses, letting them know that each one will have electricity and heat. That was welcome information Monday afternoon, as the sun had long since disappeared from the plaza.
“This is an exciting opportunity for small businesses and artists to grow here and do different things at different stages of their life,” said Slomba, who has directed Project Storefronts and worked with the Made in New Haven campaign.
Harp and Slomba.
She said the Village will also feature live music by the Hillhouse High marching band, Caribbean steel drums, a Balkan brass band that also will provide a folk dancing lesson. G‑Nice & the Family Affair Band will perform along with salsa and bachata lessons by Alisa Bown-Mercado and jazz with Thomas Ice of Musical Intervention. Church groups will also carol.
“We’re encouraging patronage of all the nearby restaurants for food and beverages,” Slomba said. “We will not have those on site. We wanted to cooperate and not compete with the folks at like Prime 16 and Temple Grill.”
Slomba introduces some of the artists who will be vending in the Village.
She noted that Temple Grill will have its winter outdoor seating available so that people can sit at the patio and continue to enjoy the music. Also look for a visit from the cast (in costume) of New Haven Ballet’s The Nutcracker. The Santa Bus will arrive with the big guy for Sunday photo opportunities.
Potter Hannah Leckman of Hannah Pottery LLC said she and a studio mate from Erector Square jumped at the chance to participate in the Village in large part because it’s close.Her work is big and breakable, so lugging it to far places isn’t particularly appealing.
“I live in Hamden,” Leckman said. “It’s much more appealing to come here than to go to even Guilford. That’s what is exciting to me.”
Cathy Graves, city deputy director for small business development, said that the idea for the market grew out of a small-scale market the city put on last year to provide foot traffic to the many entrepreneurs in the city who can’t afford to operate in a storefront. That one was held in Mayor Toni Harp’s former downtown campaign headquarters on Orange Street. Read about it here.
Illustrator Raheem Nelson in the black hat will be doing live art and DaddyButter Founder Khalil Jackson will have his skincare products at the Village.
Graves said that venture was a success helping those businesses generate between $3,000 and $4,000. This year’s project builds on that success.
“When they say ‘It takes a village,’ it truly takes a village,” she said.
Click the Facebook Live video below to watch the press conference at the Holiday Village.
And to think of all of the effort City Hall put into chasing Ideat Village out of Temple Plaza for our 'non-commercial' community art event. The first 'trick' was to eliminate consecutive day events in the Plaza and limit 'live music hours'.
I guess it took a few years for them to 'roll back' those 'guidelines'.
It also took almost a decade for that great public space to finally be 'utilized'... and is just another example of how the 'small-mindedness' of City Leaders gets in the way of genuine community 'progress'.
Can the 'Public' even apply to use Temple Plaza anymore....
I didn't see it listed on the Parks Department Site!
Another 'point of interest' -- Did you know that 'amplified music is no longer allowed in any New Haven Parks except The Green (not a park) and DeGale Field in Newhallville. That was NEWS to me!!!
Another point of note -- noise levels in 'parks' during 'events' can now not exceed 55db -- the taps on my keyboard are louder than that!!!!!
Viva Ideat Village....like it or not, we were there First!
What took you so long, New Haven????