DENVER — Shoppers strolling the Cherry Creek Holiday Market this season are finding more than gifts: they’re finding stories.
The market, which is open daily from the Thursday before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, features nearly 50 Colorado businesses, artisans and makers.
“For me, it’s all about that story, and knowing that my dollar is supporting somebody local,” the market’s community manager Kenny Nelson said. “Then, it’s a great story for me to share when I gift to somebody. It's a personal connection that I can make through the art of gift giving.”
Among those vendors is Sunflower Ukrainian Foods, run by Konstantyn Mukhin. He said the business grew from recipes passed down by his grandmother and mother. He came to the United States three years ago as refugees. One of the two restaurants he owned in Ukraine was destroyed by the war.
The menu includes pork dumplings, potato pancakes, sausages and stuffed cabbage — a personal favorite of Mukhin.
“It’s my pleasure to all these foods with the people here, because you share unique Ukrainian taste, you share your heritage with these people,” Mukhin said. “I just bring a small part of Europe to this market. I think it's something you need to have in Christmas time.”
Also on hand are people like Kym Terribile, owner of Wax Crescent. She hand-pours small-batch soy wax candles in Longmont, with fragrances tied to personal memories.
“I created the pomegranate and evergreen candle for my mother just because her dad used to bring home a pomegranate for her every Christmas,” Terribile said. “I feel feel like there's a really big link between memory and story. Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer, and I found that I can tell story through my candle scents and make a connection with people through that.”
Nelson said many of the vendors rely on the holiday season to sustain them through the year. For Wax Crescent, about 50% of their sales are in the fourth quarter of the year.
“I will hear stories about how much our vendors are banking on the holiday season,” Nelson said. “So many consumers are geared towards spending on themselves and spending on their families and friends, and focusing a lot of that spending on the holidays.”
