Artisans, craftsman, chefs, plant growers, and more gathered in Coral Bay to showcase their wares at the town’s annual shopping extravaganza, the Bizarre Bazaar.
A total of 68 vendors set up shop in a field along Route 107. Hundreds of people came out to socialize and buy holiday gifts at the event sponsored by the Coral Bay Community Council.
“We like to support the local economy and we were exposed to a lot of artisans we hadn’t seen before,” St. John resident Keryn Gottshalk said as she headed back to her car.
She and her husband, Mike Parenteau, drove out from Cruz Bay to buy a few items that included a Monopoly game that featured St. John instead of Atlantic City.
“And the vegetables were gorgeous,” she said.
Charles Leonard had a table filled with fruits and veggies. He also had plants for sale, and Coral Bay area resident Donna Matthias was quizzing him on what ones would do well in her garden.
“I’m trying to put some new varieties in my garden,” she said.
Across the field, David Silverman was selling plants he nurtured in his Bordeaux, St. John, garden. He said he has been a plant enthusiast all his life.
“When I moved to the tropics, I moved into my dream environment for gardening,” he said.
He had just about sold out of large tomato plants.
St. John resident Hank Slodden and his wife, Karen Slodden, were on their way back to the car carrying two big tomato plants he said were a variety called Mortgage Lifter. He said as the story goes, they were developed in the 1940s by combining four varieties of large tomatoes. He said he understands the man who developed them made so much money he was able to pay off his mortgage.
Several tables featured baked goods, and in the case of St. John resident Tarah McGregor’s, the raw materials to make cookies packaged up in a jar.
A few tables away, St. John resident Sally Medina was busy selling Trini’s Fire Pepper Sauce. A Trinidad native who now lives on St. John, she said she whips it up in a blender.
St. John resident Christy McManus was busy explaining the contents of the spice blends she and her husband Jim McManus had for sale at their table.
“They’re spices from around the world,” she said.
Some of the vendors had items for sale that recycled or repurposed materials found on St. John. Meredith Small picked up washed-ashore hats at Drunk Bay, located near Salt Pond, decorating them with a motto often heard lately in Coral Bay.
“Save Coral Bay,” she said.
The Save Coral Bay theme made other appearances at the event. St. John resident Laura Hollister was busy collecting money to help appeal the Coastal Zone Management Committee’s decision to give Summers End Group a permit to build a 145-slip marina in Coral Bay. Likening Coral Bay to Long Island, New York, she said it was like taking the once quiet town of Easthampton from potato fields to “Gucci Land,” referring to the high-priced store or similar expected to be part of the Summers End complex.
“We’re not against progress but this doesn’t make sense,” she said.
Several other people also had causes on their mind. St. John resident Phyllis Benton scoured around for old Cracker Jack toys to put on chains. She was selling them to raise money to defray expenses in her work with injured birds.
Some vendors had a theme. St. John resident Cheryl Geller was there with her rooster, Buster Keaton Geller. He lives in her house, wears pants to keep the surroundings clean, and was the subject of numerous items, such as art and postcards she had for sale.
“He’s the star of the show,” she said.
