If you did not attend this event, you missed out! It was the last event of the year and it was definitely so much bigger than the last couple of events with 22 vendors, door prizes and free activities with kids.
Hmong Arts and Crafts Fair was founded by Peyton and Grace Co. They host the event each time and it gets better than the last with a variety of vendors, different door prizes, sometimes guest speakers and there's always activities to keep your kids entertained. The last couple of events were at Gethsemane Lutheran School in Maplewood but this time around it was housed at Hmong American Partnership in St. Paul. The event is always free and there are always amazing door prizes that are donated by participating vendors.
The first thing we noticed is the parking lot is a lot smaller. But you can always find parking on the streets which was no problem. When we walked through the doors, I was surprised at how many people were there. The room was so full that you were literally almost shoulder to shoulder in some areas but it's still amazing how much the event has grown in attendance and vendors.
This was the perfect place to get your Christmas shopping started. You can find a lot of Hmong-inspired items and non-Hmong items that are affordable. I was excited to see vendors from past events because you get to see their bestsellers as well as new items they're featuring. But I was most excited to see new vendors. Mostly because all the heavy marketing showed all the incredible products that were going to showcase at the event.
One of my favorite booths were Hnub & Hli. You can buy Hmong clothes right on the spot plus they carry all sizes including plus sizes which makes them unique. They also sell Hmong earrings and necklaces. They make great gifts because you can never go wrong with having Hmong jewelry to go with your Hmong outfit. BUT the thing I loved was, some of them were so modern that you can wear with your every day clothes if you wanted to.
Other favorites were ALMOUA and MouaThin Productions. I was introduced to their products at Mekong Night Market so I was already a fan. But they make such stunning home decor such as Last Name Canvases and paintings.
Another cool perk that was added this time was Amira Photography was on site taking FREE photos. They had a really cool Christmas set up. You get your photos instantly and have the option to purchase Christmas photo cards as well.
Besides the four I just mentioned, there were so many other vendors that really showcased what they were about. You can see the love they put into making their crafts and how much it means to them.
If you were not able to attend, the list of vendors and links to their pages are below.
Peyton and Grace Co (https://www.peytonandgraceco.com/)
Kong Research & Designs ( https://www.facebook.com/Kong-Research-Designs-1441042759371017/ )
Jaks (https://www.facebook.com/JaksLittleEssentials/ )
Fulish, LLC ( https://www.facebook.com/FulishLLC/ )
ALMOUA ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/ALMOUA )
MouaThin Photography ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/MouaThinTheShop )
Amira Photography ( https://www.facebook.com/amiraphotographymn/ )
The Prettie Please Boutique ( https://www.facebook.com/prettie.please/ )
MoogTsev ( https://www.facebook.com/MoogTsev/ )
Venlaa ( https://www.facebook.com/officialvenla/ )
Ouji Studio ( https://www.facebook.com/OujiStudioArt/ )
Clayton & Co ( https://www.facebook.com/claytonandco/ )
HmongBaby ( https://www.facebook.com/hmongbaby/ )
The Nail Box ( https://www.facebook.com/thenailboxshoppe/ )
Tou Her from Studio Tou
Ice Cream Bow Ties ( https://www.facebook.com/icecreambowties/?ref=br_rs )
Kleevang Crafts
BB Kuky ( https://www.facebook.com/BB-Kuky-403746476736063/ )
Pa Ying Creations
Hnub & Hli ( https://hnub-hli.com/ )
While the excitement of shopping for gifts is in the air, the other part of me was hungry. While we strolled over to the food area, we noticed it was packed and the tables were filled. There were two food vendors: Juicy Foods and Juice Box. By the time we got through the food was almost sold out so we decided to not try Juicy Foods and went to get some drinks from Juice Box. We were previously introduced to Juice Box at Mekong Night Market so we were familiar with the drinks. Juice Box also sold papaya salad and bibimbap.
We would have liked to see more food vendors for such a big event. After we left, we went to Hmong Village to grab food and saw a lot of people who were at the Hmong Arts & Crafts Fair there buying food as well probably with the thought of food being sold out at the event.
Overall, the fair was a lot of fun. I saw many people I knew as well as people who came up to us because they recognized us from our videos. It was an exciting time getting to know new vendors as well as buying and supporting our local Hmong artists.
CHRISTMAS HAUL FROM THE FAIR
Here are some things I bought that I thought would be great gifts or stocking stuffers.
These beautiful pieces are from Hnub & Hli.
I love the simplicity of the necklaces and earrings. Perfect to wear with Hmong clothes as well as my every day clothes.
The necklace was $55 and the earrings were $15 each. Bringing my total to $85.
You can buy right from their webpage: https://hnub-hli.com/
Clayton & Co
These were definitely heavily marketed because I saw it everywhere on Facebook so I had to get me a Girl Boss shirt and the tote.
Shirt was $15 and tote was $12. Total was $27.
They just started an Etsy shop so here's the link to purchase items: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaytonandCoStudio
Peyton & Grace Co
I have a couple of kids on my Christmas list so I knew I had to stop by Peyton & Grace Co to do some shopping. I love the bows and the Hmong symbol necklace which is a perfect gift combination for my friend's daughter.
Bow is $5 and necklace is $20. Total was $25.
Peyton & Grace Co has a website you can directly purchase items on: https://www.peytonandgraceco.com/
I love me some coasters! Two different styles but it goes to show how unique the vendors are. I always struggle to find coasters that I like so I was so thrilled to find these.
Orange MN & WI coasters are from Kong Research & Design. Wood coasters are from Fulish, LLC.
Coasters from Kong Research & Design were $10 each. Coasters from Fulish, LLC were $37.41. Total was $57.41.
You can directly message Kong Research & Design on Facebook to purchase items. I've ordered a few times from them and they've delivered it to my house with no issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Kong-Research-Designs-1441042759371017/
Fulish, LLC has a Facebook page as well as a website. But I'm sure you can direct message on Facebook to purchase coasters.
https://www.facebook.com/FulishLLC/
https://fuevangportfolio.weebly.com/
I am super happy with my haul from the craft fair and definitely regret not buying more. I literally messaged a few vendors to see if I can buy more items after the fair.
I spent about $195 but definitely worth it to support local and talented Hmong artists.
I cannot wait for the next event. Until then, click on those links above to purchase items from these talented artists or click on the links below to see our videos of the fair.
Happy shopping!
Link to Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TravelEatTinaE/
Link to craft fair video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lVlvPw4owA
Link to craft fair haul video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6vkIGTrT0