As the scent of fresh crepes drew the crowd in, artisans’ handcrafted paintings, purses and jewelry attracted buyers while the promise of free macarons brought a line of little kids toward a snack stall. A slight drizzle of rain accompanied the excited cries of customers connecting with their culture and bargaining for prices.
On Nov. 15, the Saratoga French Cultural Preschool hosted its first half-indoor, half-outdoor French Holiday Market at the preschool, neighboring the Westhope Presbyterian Church near El Quito Park.
The market featured about 20 vendors offering French specialty foods, arts and crafts, small trinkets and face painting. Planning for the Holiday Market began in August, when assistant director of the Saratoga French Cultural Preschool Maelys Azevedo worked to recruit volunteers and vendors.
The market is a smaller iteration of a bigger event, the French Spring Carnival, hosted annually in April for the past four years and boasting live music and games.
Vendors were recruited through an application process, where they filled in information about how many tables they needed and the locations of their booths. Nadia Jorio, the founder of the French Cultural Preschool, manages all of the permits and takes care of the vendors by providing them with meals throughout the entire event.
Azevedo’s favorite part of the event is its fresh French food, which she doesn’t get to have often due to its higher price.
“Our vendors have such a variety of things to sell,” she said. “We have so many artists. It’s good to support small businesses and a good opportunity to meet new vendors.”
Residents can return to the Saratoga French Cultural Preschool in April for the larger French Spring Carnival.
