All roads lead to Shaw this weekend. It’s the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as the Historic Shaw Art Fair on Saturday and Sunday. Get started on holiday gifting, or just beautify your own space.
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The Best of Missouri Market features a diverse selection of the Show-Me State’s finest small vendors, offering all sorts of options, from cheese to leather goods.
“We’ve been doing it for more than 30 years, and it keeps growing,” says Jessika Eidson, public information officer for the Missouri Botanical Garden. “It’s a really great opportunity to explore some of those smaller vendors that maybe are not in your normal commute. Maybe they’re from across the state, or maybe they don’t have a brick-and-mortar where you can go visit them.”
The market brings together more than 150 small businesses from Missouri and nearby in Illinois. Artwork, skincare, custom board games, St. Louis-themed décor, jewelry, and more round out the offerings, with a craft beer and cocktail court and a wide selection of cuisines via food truck.
Visitors will also find a robust kid’s corner near the Cohen Amphitheater to include some amazing programming.
“Our friends from the Butterfly House will be there to talk about fall bugs,” says Eidson.
Far be it for anyone to play favorites, but it seems like a fair prediction that the baby zebra (!) is going to be a big draw at this year’s petting zoo.
“New this year, we’re actually expanding into an indoor area,” says Eidson. “We’ll still have that big outdoor tent and all of our outdoor food courts, but we’ll have an indoor area—primarily people who are selling things like fine art and jewelry.”
The Best of Missouri Market happens from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday, 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 34nd 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 iLLPHONICS, Grooveliner, Middle Class Fashion, and the Marching Band and Rock & Soul Band from Central Visual & Performing Arts High School, among other local favorites. Plus, catch puppets, storytellers, drumming, and a little bit of magic and mayhem.
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.
