UPDATE: This giveaway has ended.
The Junior League of San Antonio invited me to visit last night’s Sneak Peek event at the Holiday Olé Market 2013 (also on Facebook), running through October 5 at the Freeman Expo Hall, and they provided me with a general shopping pass ($15 value) to give away today. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment sharing your must-have or must-give holiday item this year. I will randomly pick a winner tonight, and the winner will receive a shopping pass by email shortly.
Holiday Olé Market is a unique shopping experience and it raises money for the JLSA’s charitable and educational projects.
Did you know that the JLSA was instrumental in the 1947 founding of the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children and its move to a beautiful new campus in 2010? (In this earlier post, I mentioned that the former (1952-2010) Sunshine Cottage campus on Tuleta Drive is now the home of KIPP Un Mundo Dual Language Academy, a charter school.) As you enter the Expo Hall, just to your left is a table selling holiday cards featuring artwork by the hearing impaired students at Sunshine Cottage. Proceeds from card sales (also available for purchase online, but shipping costs extra) support school programs, including scholarships.
What makes Holiday Olé Market a unique shopping experience is the vendors. These are products you do not see every day . . . except maybe on Pinterest. Some vendors are local, like Little Birds Vintage Designs, Leighelena, and Sassy Chic & Hubba Bubba, but others are from far away. Graze on savory and sweet food samples and touch the soft pashmina shawls. Get your purchases monogrammed while you wait at Stitches & Such. Experienced Olé shoppers told me not to miss Under Wraps, a vendor with a staggering array of gable boxes, on-trend wraps (chevrons!), and rolls of sparkle tulle and pearl raffia.
In additional to general shopping days, Holiday Olé Market includes special events such as Pajamas and Pancakes, sponsored by the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. While eating a pancake breakfast, hear Jennifer Gaines Drez read out loud from her book “Goodnight San Antonio”, do experiments with the San Antonio Children’s Museum, and more. Pajamas and Pancakes runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 5; tickets are available online for $15. The Children’s Hospital also has a booth in the far corner selling reusable shopping bags, featuring bold artwork by their young patients, for $3 each to raise funds for the hospital. (Note: today’s shopping pass giveaway does not include admission to Pajamas and Pancakes or any other special events.)
General shopping hours:
- Thursday, October 3 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday, October 4 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, October 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year, Holiday Olé Market is at the Expo Hall at the Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St., San Antonio, Texas 78219 (map). Parking is free, and there is plenty of room for strollers.
In case you don’t win the giveaway (it’s easy to enter: just leave a comment below with your favorite gift idea—winner to be chosen tonight), you can buy a shopping pass at the door or online for $15.
Disclosure: The Junior League of San Antonio gave me free admission to the Sneak Peek event, a $30 value, and a multi-day shopping pass to give away, a $15 value.
