By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Grounds for Thought has packed in a lot of vendors for its annual Holiday Boutique. There’s always a few who can’t make it in. This year, on Saturday Dec. 9, the boutique expands into a second venue, Myla Marcus Winery across the street at 133 S. Main St.
A mainstay of the downtown BG holiday shopping season for more than 10 years, the boutique has always tried to mix familiar faces with new work. Expanding to Myla Marcus makes that easier.
Event organizer Kathy Pereira de Almeida said that Grounds will host 17 vendors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This includes jewelry, fabric work, pottery, greeting cards, prints, photography, and edibles, wearables and more.
The winery will open its doors at noon and continue to 6 p.m.
The winery has featured art since it opened its doors after the pandemic ended.
Three regulars will be featured. Andrea Pereira de Almeida, Kathy Pereira de Almeida’s daughter, has been showing her paintings at the shop since spring. Ian Dawson sells his glasswork, especially fitting for the venue, glass wine bottle stoppers. And Madaras’ dad, Duff Madaras, a retired Bowling Green Middle School shop teacher, has been creating woodwork, including bowls, cutting boards, and Christmas trees for the shop.
Other vendors at the winery will be: KatieDidThis fiber and crochet; Linda Shetzer watercolor paintings, cards; Gary Leung Black Swamp Artistries, and Laurie Davis jewelry.
Selling their wares at Grounds will be: Sandy Wicks, Amy Karlovec; Ann Beck, Becky McOmber, Becky White-Schooner, Ellen Fure Smith – Little Bear Furniture, Jan Nielsen, Kathe Bricmont Merritt, Kim Sockman, Kacee Ferrell Snyder, Rob Snyder, Louie Staeble, Lynne Helm, Marge Meserve, Penny Evans-Meyer, and Vicki Knauerhase.
Grounds owner Kelly Wicks expanding the boutique could be the start of something bigger, he said. “The collaboration with Myla Marcus may lead to multiple sites all downtown.”
The boutique both offers a place for the vendors to sell their work but “it’s a really good place for people to find unique gifts in $25 or under range.”
Some of these vendors have exhibited nationally, and a three, Ellen Fure Smith, Marge Meserve, and Andrea Pereira de Almeida, have won awards at the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
Kathy Pereira de Almeida organized a sale for a couple years at her home, before working with Grounds founder Sandy Wicks to move the sale to Grounds about 10 years ago.
In the past, she’s exhibited her own work on the walls during the boutique. This year, she decided to add another dimension.
She selected four area artists and asked them to submit four works.
The show features work by: James Coleman Howes, TJ Marguis, Stephen Owczarzak, and Katherine Long, all except for Howes, work for the Art Depo. Howes noted, he is a regular customer at the store.
The 4 by Four exhibit, which opened this past weekend, will remain on display through Dec. 31.
