Although the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach is known best for its community arts classes for young and old, arts-based outreach programs and its value as a venue for new and established artists, once a year the distinct building is transformed into a winter wonderland of gifts and goodies by a handful of hardworking staff members and volunteers.
Last week, the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach celebrated a quarter of a century of great shopping with the Silver Anniversary of the Holiday Shoppes, Nov. 13 to 15. Five dollars at the door gave shoppers access to unique gifts and an incredible head start on holiday shopping.
“We’ve got close to 30 vendors this year, and over have of them are new,” said Toni Boudreaux, Director of Development at CCPVB.
The event featured handpicked boutiques from all across the country, like Indo Chic, with silk jackets and apparell, and Charleston Shoes, offering comfortable and stylish shoes an dmany accessory options for men.
Boudreaux said that because of the anniversary, she had hoped to make the shopping experience better than ever. All of the work was completed with the five staff members at the Cultural Center and volunteers who donated their time.
“We turn an arts center into a mini mall, basically,” Boudreaux said. “I wanted it to be really big this year because it is the 25th anniversary – I wanted to blow it out of the park.”
In addition to new vendors and the mainstays from years past, Boudreaux looked at what had been successful in years past.
“The first year that the Cultural Center did the Holiday Shoppes, they had a lot of book vendors. I wanted to bring that back for the 25th anniversary,” she said. Boudreaux also collaborated with the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, with the Museum gift shop booking an entire room this year at the Shoppes.
The event kicked off with a preview party, catered by the Savory Market of Fernandina Beach.
“Everybody was really receptive to the new vendors this year and also happy to have some of the old ones back,” Boudreaux said.
For more information, call (904) 280-0614 x 205 or visit www.ccpvb.org. The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Proceeds from this event directly benefit art programs at The Cultural Center.
