All roads lead to Shaw this weekend. It’s the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and the Historic Shaw Art Fair Saturday and Sunday. Get started on holiday gifting or just beautify your own space.
Stay up-to-date with the local arts scene
Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.
The Best of Missouri Market is an annual event featuring a diverse selection of the Show-Me State’s finest small vendors offering all and sundry, from cheese to leather goods to native plants to custom jewelry to honey.
“There’s something for everyone,” says Jessika Eidson, public information officer for the Missouri Botanical Garden. “If you like pottery, if you like wine, if you have kiddos. It’s an outdoor market, which means it’s really enjoyable this time of year—the beginning of fall, getting outside when it’s still warm.”
The market brings together more than 150 small businesses from Missouri and nearby in Illinois. Visitors will also find a robust kid’s corner with a petting zoo, balloon art, face painting, and snow cones. The creative reuse nonprofit Perennial will be there with sustainable pumpkin decorating options, aligning neatly with the MoBot’s mission.
New this year, select vendors are offering discounts on merchandise to MoBot members. Eidson says many vendors love coming and want to support the garden and its membership, and some have been returning to the market for decades. (Pick up a program to see which ones offer a discount.)
“We really want people to check out the craft beer and cocktail court,” Eidson adds. “What better way to spend the weekend than having a nice glass of wine and walking around the garden?”
Come for lunch, too. There will be a great selection of food trucks. Dippidy Donuts, new to the event but a favorite from Garden Glow, will be there. Sando Shack, a personal favorite of Eidson’s, will be building Japanese-style sandwiches.
Note: The Tower Grove Connector going in next to the Missouri Botanical Garden will be a great addition to the neighborhood once it’s done, but for now, it presents a parking challenge; Eidson recommends checking the website for satellite options. Shuttles, she says, go right to the front gate and may even be more convenient than finding a space nearby.
The Best of Missouri Market happens from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $18 or $9 for members.
Just a short walk from the Missouri Botanical Garden, on Flora Place between Tower Grove and Thurman avenues, the 32nd annual Historic Shaw Art Fair brings together more than 100 artists working in clay, digital, drawing and pastels, fiber art, glass, jewelry, mixed media, paining, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and wood/metal.
The fair also hosts live music both days, including the Rock & Soul Band and the Marching Band from the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School, among other local favorites.
The Historic Shaw Art Fair runs from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 at the gate, with $1 off admission with a canned food donation.
