Nine years ago, the GFWC Berea Woman’s Club started a holiday market in the Conkin Gymnasium at Berea Community High School. This Saturday, it comes back for its 9th annual run, and the club has turned it into one of the more meaningful shopping events in town.
The Tinsel & Treasures 9th Annual Holiday Vendor Market is Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Berea Community High School, 3 Pirate Pkwy, Berea, KY. The market is organized by the GFWC Berea Woman’s Club, a local chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which has been active in Berea for years. The event takes place inside the Conkin Gymnasium.
What makes this market different from a standard craft fair is where the money goes. Proceeds from vendor booth fees fund school family resource centers, local non-profit organizations like Hospice Care Plus and the New Opportunity School for Women, and scholarships for graduates at local high schools. The Berea Women’s Club also donates to a different non-profit every month, voted on at each club meeting. So the money from a $60 vendor booth does not just cover the club’s costs. It goes back into the community.
The silent auction is where the giving gets specific. Items donated by vendors are auctioned off, and the proceeds go to Hope’s Wings Domestic Violence Shelter in Richmond, KY. Hope’s Wings provides shelter and services to survivors of domestic violence in Madison County. The Women’s Club has supported them for years, including through a Shop and Share event at Kroger every spring that brought in about 13 shopping carts full of goods, $400 in cash, and $800 in gift cards in a recent year.
The club is prioritizing handmade goods and services from local artisans, bakers, and vendors. That means the market leans toward things people in Berea and the surrounding area actually made. If you are tired of mass-produced holiday items, this is the kind of market where you might find something with a real story behind it.
Food and drink vendors are still being confirmed for this year’s event. The club has had Kyle’s Kitchen and Just Love Coffee in past years, and they are posting confirmed vendors and food trucks as they are locked in. Check the event’s Facebook page for the latest list before you go.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for selfies between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. That two-hour window is worth planning around if you are bringing kids. It turns a shopping trip into something the whole family can do together.
Vendor spaces are 10 feet by 10 feet and cost $60, with optional electricity for an additional $5. The club is still accepting vendor applications through a Google form on the event’s Facebook page. If you are a local maker or artisan looking for a spot, that is your entry point.
One thing to be aware of: the club has dealt with scammers in the past. People posing as part of the vendor fair have tried to get vendors to send them money. If you are applying as a vendor, message someone you actually know from the Women’s Club or contact the club’s Facebook profile directly. Do not send money to anyone you cannot verify.
The Richmond Register reported that a past Tinsel and Treasures event drew about 400 visitors. That was the 6th annual event in 2023, so it is a few years old, but it gives you a sense of the scale. Several hundred people in the Conkin Gymnasium on a Saturday in November is a solid turnout for a community market.
Berea Community High School is at 3 Pirate Pkwy. The Conkin Gymnasium is inside the school, so you will be indoors and out of the November weather. Arriving early is a good idea for an event that draws a few hundred people.
A nine-year-old holiday market that raises money for local non-profits, supports survivors of domestic violence, and gives local artisans a place to sell their work is exactly the kind of event Berea should be proud of. It is community helping community, and that is worth showing up for.
If you have been meaning to start your holiday shopping, or if you have been meaning to get more involved in the community, this is a good place to do both. Saturday, November 7, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Berea Community High School. Just come. Bring the family. Bring your wallet.
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**✍️ About the Author**
Chad Hembree serves as the Executive Director of Spotlight Acting School, The Spotlight Playhouse, and Spotlight Performing Arts. A resident of Berea, Kentucky, and a former member of the Berea Council, he has spent decades working in community theater, arts education, and local journalism. Since 1995, he has operated BereaOnline.com, focusing on local news, civic issues, and stories that highlight community collaboration and grassroots efforts across Madison County.
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– Music in the Air: Free November Concerts at Berea College
**📅 Upcoming Community & Theater Events**
– **November 7, 2026:** Tinsel & Treasures 9th Annual Holiday Vendor Market, 9:00 a.m., Berea Community High School. 🎄 – **November 7, 2026:** First Annual Recovery Walk: Hope in Every Step, 10:00 a.m., Berea Community School. 🌅 – **November 14, 2026:** Mariachi Berea Fall Concert, 6:00 p.m., Gray Auditorium, Presser Hall. 🎸 – **November 15, 2026:** Bel Canto Treble Singers Fall Concert, 5:30 p.m., Gray Auditorium, Presser Hall. 🎶
**📚 Sources**
– Richmond Register: “Tinsel and Treasures” Market coming to Berea Community School – AllEvents: Tinsel & Treasures 9th Annual Holiday Vendor Market – Facebook Event: Tinsel & Treasures
✍️ About the Author
Chad Hembree serves as the Executive Director of Spotlight Acting School, The Spotlight Playhouse, and Spotlight Performing Arts. A resident of Berea, Kentucky, and a former member of the Berea Council, he has spent decades working in community theater, arts education, and local journalism. Since 1995, he has operated BereaOnline.com, focusing on local news, civic issues, and stories that highlight community collaboration and grassroots efforts across Madison County.
🔗 Related Stories
📅 Upcoming Community & Theater Events
- November 7, 2026: Tinsel & Treasures 9th Annual Holiday Vendor Market, 9:00 a.m., Berea Community High School. 🎄
- November 7, 2026: First Annual Recovery Walk: Hope in Every Step, 10:00 a.m., Berea Community School. 🌅
- November 14, 2026: Mariachi Berea Fall Concert, 6:00 p.m., Gray Auditorium, Presser Hall. 🎸
- November 15, 2026: Bel Canto Treble Singers Fall Concert, 5:30 p.m., Gray Auditorium, Presser Hall. 🎶
This article originally appeared on BereaOnline.com – your home for Madison County news, community events, and local updates.