VALDOSTA – The halls of the Rainwater Conference Center were decked with boughs of holly as more than 500 people visited Merry Marketplace in the first three hours.

Coming back, after a year off because of the pandemic, the acclaimed holiday shopping extravaganza celebrated its 47th year.

There were issues with some vendors returning as the COVID-19 pandemic either forced them to shutdown or left them short staffed.

Still, Kayla McCurdy, a Merry Marketplace chairman, said the annual event attracted more than 80 vendors.

“We were a little bit concerned that we weren’t going to have a good turnout,” she said. “This morning from 10-11:30 a.m., we saw over 500 people come through the door and that did not include our early ticket event from 8-10 a.m.”

Amy and Stephanie Starrk came to the event together. While Amy is a repeat customer, it was Stephanie’s first time attending. Needless to say, she had fun. Her favorite part was seeing local business owners show off their wares and allowing her to sample their goods. The same goes for Amy.

“I enjoy this every year and look forward to seeing the talent other people have to display,” Amy said. But she was also heavily interested in networking with individuals, finding ways to stay in touch with their businesses long after the Merry Marketplace is over.

That’s where the underlying focus of the event comes into play.

While the initial goal of Merry Marketplace was giving back to the community (all proceeds go to charity), it also gives major exposure to local businesses.

This was the first time Dr. Sheila R. Thomas of Thomas Educational Consulting and Training was a part of Merry Marketplace and she was excited to receive the exposure.

She’s a children’s book author and was able to tell those who came by about her books as well as her educational program focused on sharing tips and strategies with parents to help them build a strong educational foundation with their kids.

Her program is made for children of all colors, but she has a course focused specifically on Black and brown children.

“I’m excited to be a part of (Merry Marketplace) and to do something in the city to make it better for our children,” she said. “I’m trying to close the literature gap, especially for Black and brown boys.”

Julia Shewchuk of Serenity Acres Farms has reaped the benefits of the Merry Marketplace for five years, skipping 2020 of course. She said it’s always been good coming back each year.

Serenity Acres Farms is only 15 miles away from Valdosta, based in northern Florida, so Shewchuk said it’s been a joy stretching the company’s legs outside of its immediate local area.

“We still have people who come back (since coming to our booth the first year) and because we’re local, they also come and visit our farm,” Shewchuk said.

Shewchuk and her staff agreed the people of the Merry Marketplace have always been the best part of it and they’ll continue to be a part of it for the years ahead.