Finding time to shop for holidays can be difficult, so the Amboy Grange has decided to host a Valentine’s Day Bazaar to help people find the perfect gift.
Organizer Jess Crossley said the bazaar, which is scheduled for Feb. 12, will give last-minute shoppers an opportunity to browse the wares available at the event and the variety includes “a whole mix” of items.
“We’ll have our local wire-wrap jewelry artist who does amazing wire-wrapped pendants,” Crossley said. “We’ll have two different types of sweets, cupcakes and cookie vendors, then there’s one who makes loose-tea mixes and a local honey vendor.”
As of last week, there were 26 vendors who had signed up for the event. They included Bigfoot Metalworks, Heather’s Twisted Designs, Sithean Acres and Sugar Mama Sweets, Treats & Gifts.
Crossley’s decision to run a Valentine’s bazaar came to fruition after she tried to attend a similar event.
“I usually do outside events at other places, and there was a Valentine’s Day event my friend and I were going to, and we couldn’t get into it, so we just decided to do our own,” she said.
She said over 60 people have expressed interest in the event through Facebook.
Besides the Valentine’s Day bazaar, Crossley said she hosts one for Christmas and she also organizes bazaars alongside farmers markets in the spring and summer.
Jamie Coffield, owner of Sugar Mama Sweets, Treats & Gifts, is excited to show off her baked goods at the bazaar.
“I took cake-decorating classes when I was younger and worked in bakeries, but during COVID, I just got really bored and started pushing my chocolate-covered strawberries, which I’ve always done on the side to make extra money,” said Coffield. “I was home and bored like everybody else so Sugar Mama was born.”
Coffield said she started making the Sugar Mama treats from home, but now operates out of Sweetly Bakery & Cafe in Battle Ground. She utilizes the business’ kitchen and sells her items elsewhere.
Among other items, Coffield sells caramels, which are made from her grandmother’s old-school recipes that she refers to as her “bread and butter.” She makes truffles, chocolate-covered caramels and macadamia nut caramels.
Coffield said her grandmother mailed the recipes on a handwritten card as a birthday gift four years ago.
Around the time of Valentine’s Day, she said Sugar Mama gets busy. Her chocolate-covered strawberries are especially high in demand once the holiday approaches.
“This will be my first year hitting the bazaars. I didn’t get into events until last May, so I’m hoping this year will be a good, busy one,” Coffield said.
Last year, Coffield held an event outside of her home that involved 12 pop-up vendors as she sought “like-minded women” to network with, partly because of the isolation COVID-19 caused. After finding other bakers to collaborate with, Coffield and the others hosted events in Battle Ground, Brush Prairie, and other areas in Clark County, she said. A few of the events were held at Lucia Falls Farm and the O’Keefe Sunflower Farm. Her items sold out quickly at both events.
Coffield said her most popular item is typically her bigfoot bars, which include rocky road with butterscotch, peanuts, marshmallows, peanut butter and chocolate.
The Valentine’s Day Bazaar will be held at the Amboy Grange, 40107 NE 221st Ave. in Amboy from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12.
