Lucerne >> Ask any Christmas-obsessive out there; it’s never too early to start celebrating. Holiday music, Starbucks red cups, Christmas commercials, the holidays are here, which means the shopping season has also arrived.
Today marks the first day of Lakeside Art’s “Holidays at the Harbor” second annual Christmas shop out in Lucerne. The shop, which features handcrafted artwork from artists across the county, will run every weekend in November and December until the Sunday before Christmas.
The idea for the shop began “totally selfishly,” according to Susan Laymon with Lakeside Art. Part of Harbor Village Artists, Lakeside Art is a complex of cottages rented out by the county, and they’re tucked away in Lucerne, where they don’t get very much attention. They wanted to do something to bring both artists and customers into the area and since there were a number of vacant cottages in the complex last year, Lakeside Art decided to sponsor the holiday shop. Artists suddenly had an inexpensive and convenient place to show their work.
“We just try to come up with things to sponsor to get the artists exited about getting their work out there in front of people,” Laymon said.
Lakeside Art is a co-op art shop, with five members and a number of guest artists who all sell their work out of a cottage at the the Harbor Village Artists complex. The complex began nine years ago with redevelopment funds from the county and was created to benefit the arts in Lake County. The cottages lend themselves to retail space (they don’t have restrooms or running water) and each rents out for $200. The inexpensive price-tag makes ventures like Lakeside Art and “Holidays at the Harbor” possible.
“We could not do it otherwise if we were paying the going rate for rent,” Laymon said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for somebody like us.”
Last year “Holidays at the Harbor” was a certified success. They had 19 artists selling work and a steady stream of shoppers. “The artists were happy, we were happy because we did get a lot of attention. We had a lot of customers, and very happy customers,” Laymon said. “It was just an all around win for everybody.”
She also extended her gratitude to the county, who doesn’t charge Lakeside Art rent for the holiday shop. “They make it very easy for us to do this, so we owe them a thank you,” she said.
They knew they had to put the shop on again. All they needed was an avalible cottage and with three of the four buildings unoccupied in the Harbor Village Artists complex, they went to work. They sent out fliers and email blasts welcoming any artist into the shop for a fee of $25 for two months. Though they brought in 12 crafters this year, 7 less than the first time around, they’ve still managed to fill the shelves and walls with holiday gifts and décor.
Although the shop gives the community another place to purchase holiday items, Holidays at the Harbor is largely an endeavor to benefit Lake County artists. When an artist submits items for the shop, Lakeside Art takes care of everything, from the set up to the advertising to the sale. “There are so many people that are so talented and they do such beautiful things, but if you’re working as well as being an artist … that’s hard, especially around the holidays,” Laymon said.
This year, more so than ever, Lakeside Art felt it was important to host a holiday shop. And though everyone has been affected by the fire in one way or another, Laymon said, those who were fortunate enough to live in the spared areas are doing everything they can to lift community spirits.
“We need some sparkly good cheer,” she continued.
The “Holidays at the Harbor” Christmas shop is officially open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. -4 p.m., but since Lakeside Art is located in the cottage directly beside the shop, they’ll be happy to open the doors to people looking to do some Yuletide shopping on Thursday or Friday. They have a little bit of everything, from jewelery and linens to tree ornaments and table skirts, plus some Thanksgiving items.
“Come and say hi and check out all the great things that our artists do,” Laymon said.
The shop is located at 6197 E. Hwy 20 in Lucerne.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
