The Biz Baz is 50!

The grandma of local holiday markets celebrates half a century of serious shopping this weekend.

Deemed by shoppers and sellers alike to be the most wonderful time of year, the market moment has arrived. There are many, but the biggest, baddest one by a landslide is Richmond’s Bizarre Bazaar. With an annual attendance of 25,000-30,000 who come to buy from 500+ vendors, this wild and a little wacky event is a big thing.

Wednesday, doors opened for the ticketed preview charity event, and shoppers streamed in, dressed for the season and anxious to get a pre-peek. On a mission to buy, they fanned out in all directions, each with a strategy for seeing it all. 

Started in 1975 by Richmonder Alice Siegel, the gift show is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend. Over the years it’s grown exponentially, moved from locations like the barely indoor, dusty Arena (pre-Coliseum) to the Richmond Raceway complex, and recently changed ownership. Siegel handed the key to daughter Eliza Branch earlier this year.

As I cautiously stepped into the fast-moving stream of very excited mostly women, I noticed pairs and clusters of shoppers, many of whom were dressed alike with festive jewelry and shiny attire. Sporting the same Christmas necklaces, Holly Davis says she and her group consider their visit the “official start of the Christmas season.”

What do they hope to find? Vendors are savvy enough to know the answer – gifts at prices that hit a sweet spot between not too expensive and not too cheap. Lots of items – like the piles of coffeecakes – are one size fits all. Some are shopping for a particular person, and there’s a big selection of personalized items from laser cut ornaments to monogrammed pickleball racket covers. As always, there are plenty of Santa sweatshirts, hats, dips, totes, baby things, ornaments, foods for dogs and people, earrings and the ubiquitous bath bombs. Prices range from a few dollars to hundreds.

For many shoppers I spoke with, attending is a tradition. Three women in sparkly witch hats and Christmas overalls were making a game plan as I passed by – mom Judy Durant and daughters Catherine Paige and Amy Hoggatt, who said, “We like dressing up ridiculously… we’ve been doing it for years.”

Friends Lauren Bowling and Marie Wright, adorned in matching jewelry, have come together since the 1990s. They love the preview night – “no lines, no kids, no strollers.” Lauren added that her mother in law, Linda Bowling, likes to be first in line every year. “She gets here at 2pm!” (The preview opens at 4pm.)

The event is a tradition for vendors, too. For at least 25 years, Latarsha Robinson of Summerville, South Carolina has sold her family’s baked goods under the name Southern Sisters. Lemon cooler cookies are a hot seller, as well as benne wafers, a Charleston favorite that originated from West Africans who were sold into slavery in South Carolina. They brought sesame seeds, a key ingredient, with them.

Seated on a stool in her booth amid her many pen and ink prints of Richmond scenes, longtime Richmond artist Eliza Askin reflected on her 43 years at the Bazaar. Her annual calendar is sought after every year by many who love her work. She did a quick tally and reported that she has sold about 300,000 calendars since 1981, many at the Bazaar. This will be her last year, she said, citing a growing number of grandchildren.

Every year there seems to be a standout purchase, and this year, in my estimation, it’s holiday pajamas. Last night, booths were full of pajamas for all ages… with candy canes, Santa and trees. Libba Chambers and Maribeth Carr, another duo who are repeat shoppers, considered a leopard patterned pair of pajama pants on a rack of sleepwear. Why the proliferation? Said Carr, “Everybody just wants to be cozy!”

Tip: If you can, leave your stroller and the person who rides in it at home. There are no kids activities and once full, the aisles narrow. 

The preview charity event Wednesday night benefitted Operation Healing Forces. The nonprofit serves the needs of wounded, ill, injured and fallen Special Operations Forces service members, veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors. For more information, visit operationhealingforces.org.

DETAILS

Richmond Raceway Complex
600 E. Laburnum Ave., 23222
Tickets: $11, children 2-12 $2.50
Thursday and Friday: 10am-7pm
Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-5pm