A holiday sale with something for all

Vendors and customers were chatting happily and doing business at the St. James Annual Holiday Gift Fair on Saturday during the noon hour. Some visitors were enjoying lunch with friends, while keeping the kitchen busy.

A big rush came in when St. James opened their doors at 10 a.m., according to Rachael Wolford, who was selling homemade baked goods with friends. They had krumkake, berlinerkranser, caramel rolls and more.

Like a responsible gambler, I went into the gym with a set amount of money; $12 disappeared at their table.

Painter Mitzi Christensen had taken advantage of a quiet moment to eat lunch at her table. She'd sold one of her pen and ink drawings and several of her cards, always a popular item.

Deirdre Kiest of Longview had filled tables with her crocheted blankets, hats, and fingerless gloves in a multitude of colors. Tempting crocheted purses hung from a coat tree nearby.

Alas, they did not figure into that day's budget.

Becky Ledtke, who makes jewelry, had added timepieces to her work. She'd also been experimenting with earrings, adding psychedelic picks to dangling guitars and cats.

One vendor was selling diaper covers in an abundance of patterns, some emblazoned with sports team logos.

Local author and historian Irene Martin was selling her books, and Hannah Booth-Watts manned another table, filled with used northwest history books.

There went another $5, easy peasy.

There were many other tables selling items from gift baskets to preowned holiday decorations, and down the hall, volunteers from St. James Family Center operated the childrens' store, in which children could buy presents for friends and family with no item costing more than $1.