Downtown D.C.’s holiday market returns for another year, and this year’s edition will have something for people who like to spend time on the ice during the holiday season.
“I’m going to get right to the point, we’re going to have an ice rink in Downtown,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser when announcing the addition of an indoor ice-skating rink at the National Building Museum.
The ice rink will be open from Dec. 15 to Jan. 4 inside the museum.
The rink is, of course, in addition to the many vendors that will be set up at a new location of a holiday market this year — F Street NW between 7th and 9th streets.
The more than 100 artisans and crafters will offer everything from paintings to clothing. The food offerings, according to the DowntownDC Business Improvement District, will include raclette, which is hot cheese over bread, colorful s’mores, empanadas, churros and waffles.
The Hotel Monaco will also sell holiday-themed cocktails at a central market bar called the “The Winter Chalet.”
“It’s really exciting and a great opportunity for my small business to be part of this vibrancy, and being part of a holiday event bringing all of D.C. and people from all over the country and the world together,” said Aashumi Shah, owner of Mirasa Design.
Shah said her small business, which specializes in children’s clothing and toys, will bring on additional staff to keep the booth running during the 30-day event.
“The foot traffic in Downtown D.C. is amazing, especially on the weekends. So it is going to be a big spike, versus being visible only on the weekends,” Shah said.
Shadora Martin, who owns Best Life Organics and specializes in skincare products, said these types of events lead to big opportunities for small businesses.
“We do a lot of smaller markets on the weekends, but the scale of this event is just incredible. We’re talking thousands and thousands of people coming through, all week long,” Martin said.
Meredith Artyukhina owns Capital Stitch Co., which sells step-by-step embroidery kits and patterns, and said she has dreams of her products being sold nationally.
“A market like this, of this size and magnitude, is exactly what we need in order to take the next step in our business,” Artyukhina said.
The annual market will have competition this year, after the DowntownDC BID cut ties with the management company who operated last year’s event. That company, Diverse Markets Management, will instead host its own separate market in Dupont Circle.
Bowser said she believes it’s great there are two markets in the city this year.
“We know that people want to buy from local entrepreneurs and vendors. This market downtown is going to drive a lot of traffic, and we love to see people getting out around the city,” Bowser said.
As for the vendors, such as Martin, who will take part in the Downtown D.C. market, they welcome the other festival.
“I truly think the more the merrier,” Martin said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.