Community gathers in downtown Modesto for holiday shopping, good cheer at Mod Shop

Downtown Modesto was bustling with Christmas cheer Saturday evening as the annual Mod Shop Indie Crafters Market returned to close Small Business Saturday with a festive ring.

Independent artists and businesses joined for the fifth year of the holiday-kick-off event. More than 80 vendors in 90 booths – all from the Modesto region – peddled their handcrafted wares in locally owned businesses along J Street.

It’s grown into a popular community destination each year, bringing in shoppers and browsers filled with holiday spirit.

You could see the cheer evident on the faces of those who turned out Saturday evening – families, friends, couples, even a leashed dog – making their way from stop to stop to check out the merchandise, everything from furniture to cosmetics to art, clothing, knitted items and more.

Husband and wife Chris and Melanie Oneth of Modesto made their first foray to Mod Shop on Saturday. “It’s fun to do these kinds of things,” Melanie Oneth said of community events. The couple were greeted by several people they knew as they stopped, commonplace for Mod Shop, where attendees often run into friends and acquaintances along the way.

The bubbly Christmas mood was bolstered by musicians who kept the crowds entertained along J Street between 10th and 13th streets, where the Mod Shop vendors set up inside their host businesses to sell their handmade wares.

Organized by Kate Trompetter, Ruhi Sheikh and Tricia Rosenow, Mod Shop has grown since its inception. It’s held on Small Business Saturday each year, when local merchants across the nation open their doors to encourage people to shop at independent retailers the day after Black Friday.

Merchants who hosted this year were Ralston’s Goat, Health Plan of San Joaquin, Preservation Coffee and Tea, Concetta, Mira’s Bridal, Deva Café, Mod Spot, Peer Recovery Art Project and – for the first time – the wine shop at Tresetti’s World Caffe. A raffle at the Modesto Chamber Office – where the organizers were giving out “Shop Local” shopping bags to those who stopped in – benefited MoST (Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center).

A Mini Mod Shop also returned inside Mistlin Gallery, where young crafters sold their creations.

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Community gathers in downtown Modesto for holiday shopping, good cheer at Mod Shop."