South Elgin school hosts Holiday Bazaar

It looked, sounded and smelled a lot like Christmas Saturday at South Elgin's Corron Elementary School.

The school played host to hundreds of shoppers and 80 vendors selling a wide range of crafts and gifts for the Corron PTO's first Holiday Bazaar.

The bazaar was a fundraiser for the PTO and appeared to wildly exceed organizers' expectations.

The PTO had hoped to raise $1,350 but already had collected about $2,400 before the bazaar opened Saturday morning.

With the official start of the holiday shopping season just around the corner, the PTO hoped the bazaar would be a "one-stop holiday shop" for residents trying to avoid the crowds and traffic of Black Friday.

"One of our members just thought there was a need," said Julie Garthwaite of South Elgin, the PTO secretary. "So far, so good."

The gym, cafeteria and hallways of Corron Elementary School were filled with shoppers navigating the tightly arranged stalls while Santa greeted children and the scent of festive candles permeated the air.

Laura Temes and her sister, Sue, sold sets of stone coasters adorned with vivid wine- and holiday-themed designs. The sisters started making the coasters for friends and family but expanded when they realized there was a bigger market for their crafts.

"They've got a lot of people around," Laura Temes said. "It's always nice to see Santa."

James VanDeventer heard about the bazaar from his daughter, a local resident, so he brought his handcrafted wooden jewelry boxes up from his home outside Champaign to sell.

VanDeventer, who has been making jewelry boxes for 10 to 15 years, said he appreciated the business but worried few people in the current economic climate could spare enough for his high-end products.

"They do have a lot of traffic," VanDeventer said. "A lot of people look, but when they see the price tag, well, the economy's not so good."

Bob Burks from Geneva dropped in to check out the photography booth run by his friend. He and his wife ended up buying a set of stationery and a calendar featuring his friend's photographs.

"They've done well," Burks said of the PTO's bazaar. "I'm sure they'll learn and get even better."

The PTO hopes to make the Holiday Bazaar an annual event, Garthwaite said.