Love, the Locals hosts it’s 7th annual event at The Bay

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Those who haven’t finished all of their Christmas shopping and were in the mood to support local businesses were in luck on Sunday. The Bay held its seventh annual Love the Locals event, helping shoppers check off those Christmas lists.

Each year, vendors, artists and shoppers show up for the Love the Locals’ Christmas Market. It’s a way for people to find unique gifts for loved ones and bring people together for the holidays.

Seven years ago Heather Eigsti, one of three co-founders of Love the Locals, came up with the idea with her fellow makers.

“We just thought well lets try it, were friends with a lot of other makers and so we were like well lets see if we can put this together,” Eigsti said.

Eigsti said the event is all about community and each year the market has grown. This year they expect anywhere between 2,000 to 3,000 people to pass through the doors in just the one day.

“The community has shown up year after year and its one of the most fun days I can think of,” Eigsti said.

Jodi Kocher found out about the market for the first time this year on social media and decided to bring a friend and check it out. Kocher said the experience of making new discoveries in the local scene stood out.

“It’s just nice to discover some of the local businesses you might not have known about and I’m just more inclined to support them when I find them locally,” Kocher said.

She also checked off some items from her holiday to-do list.

“I got a fair amount of Christmas stocking stuffers and so forth so I’m not going to say a whole lot, but I did happen to find the perfect gift for a professional friend,” Kocher said.

Eigsti said the event could not be put on without the help of volunteers.

“This year I’ve been walking around making sure all the vendors have water, so it’s been so fun just getting to interact with everyone,” Amelia Herbert, Volunteer.

At the end of the day, the goal of the market is to shed a light on local business.

“It can be a vulnerable thing to put yourself out there and something that you created,” Eigsti said. “It’s scary, but I know that the makers feel loved and supported and we just love to celebrate them at this event. It’s so fun.”

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