Tag: holiday shopping

  • We’re Staying Home for the Holidays (And Bringing Something Special)

    We’re Staying Home for the Holidays (And Bringing Something Special)

    This week in the workshop, Rex discovered something we’d almost forgotten – the joy of sleeping in our own bed while still sharing our craft with an incredible community of art lovers.

    After a year that has tested us in ways we never expected, we’re beyond excited to announce that Sarkanys Rising will be part of Tucson’s Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair at Reid Park this Thanksgiving weekend. For the first time in what feels like forever, we get to be part of something magical right here in our hometown.

    A Fair with Four Decades of Heart

    This isn’t just any craft fair – it’s a Tucson tradition that’s been bringing together artisans and art lovers for more than 40 years. Over 140 vendors from across the Southwest gather at Gene C. Reid Park, creating a marketplace where every single item is handmade, unique, and crafted with the kind of care that’s becoming harder to find in our world.

    When we read that requirement – “all items must be unique, handmade goods” – we knew we’d found our people. This is exactly the kind of event where stories matter as much as the pieces themselves, where customers appreciate the difference between mass-produced and carefully crafted.

    Why This Feels Like Coming Home

    After months of cancelled events due to health challenges and financial pressures that seemed determined to test our resolve, the simple pleasure of driving across town instead of across state lines feels like a gift in itself. No over-packing the van & trailer, no wondering if we’ll have everything we need, no sleeping in unfamiliar places while fighting to feel our best.

    Instead, we get to wake up in our own home, make sure every piece is perfect, and drive just a few miles to share what we love with a community that gets it. Sometimes the best adventures happen closest to home.

    What We’re Bringing (And What We’re Not Telling You… Yet)

    You’ll find our full range of handcrafted treasures – those chatoyant mahogany boxes that shift and shimmer in the light, cutting boards with stories that span decades, pens that turn everyday writing into something special, and pieces that defy easy categorization but somehow find their perfect homes.

    But here’s where we get a little mysterious: we’re also bringing something extra special that we haven’t talked about before. Starting November 1st, we’ll be launching a gift with purchase program that we’re honestly more excited about than we probably should be. Rex has been working on these pieces in between everything else, and seeing them come together has been one of those bright spots that reminds us why we do this work.

    We can’t spill all the details yet (October has its own surprises we want you to focus on first), but let’s just say that anyone who finds us at Reid Park will discover there’s more to the story than what meets the eye.

    The Details That Matter

    When: Saturday, November 29th (9 AM – 4 PM) and Sunday, November 30th (9 AM – 3 PM)
    Where: Gene C. Reid Park, 920 S. Concert Place (west side of the park off Country Club Road)
    What to Expect: Over 140 Southwest artisans, all handmade goods, and the kind of community gathering that makes the holidays feel magical

    We’ll have our full range of pieces, from affordable treasures to investment heirlooms, plus those special surprises we keep hinting at. And as always, every purchase comes with the stories, the lifetime guarantees, and the kind of personal connection that turns customers into community.

    A Thanksgiving Weekend to Remember

    There’s something perfect about spending Thanksgiving weekend surrounded by the work of makers and creators, celebrating what it means to build beauty with your hands and share it with people who appreciate the difference. After a year that challenged us in every possible way, being part of this community tradition feels like exactly where we need to be.

    Come find us at Reid Park. We’ll have coffee, stories, and pieces that are just waiting to become part of your holiday celebrations. Plus, if you’ve been curious about that gift with purchase program we keep mentioning, well… let’s just say good things come to those who show up.

    Mark Your Calendars

    This is our first local event in longer than we care to admit, and we’re ready to make it count. Whether you’re starting your holiday shopping early, looking for something truly unique, or just want to support local artisans doing what they love, we’ll be there with bells on (and probably with Rex demonstrating his craft because he can never resist a good audience).

    Thanks for being part of our story, Tucson. We can’t wait to be part of yours.

    See you at Reid Park, November 29th and 30th. Come early, stay late, and get ready for some surprises.

  • Buy Holiday Gifts Early at Summer Craft Fairs and Festivals

    Some of the best holiday gifts you’ll give this year are sitting in booths at summer festivals right now, waiting for someone smart enough to think ahead.

    That exquisite Cherry & Golden Walnut Yarn Bowl you spotted at Pine/Strawberry Arts & Crafts fair in July? Tuck it away in your closet, and come December, watch your crafty friend’s eyes light up when they unwrap something they never would have expected. The story makes the gift even better: “I saw this at a festival months ago and immediately thought of you.”

    We’ve noticed that our most satisfied gift-givers are the ones who shop festivals during the warmer months. There are practical reasons for this — better selection, no shipping scrambles, more time to plan complementary gifts around a main piece. But there’s something deeper too. Shopping early for someone specific shows a level of thoughtfulness that’s rare in our last-minute world.

    Festival shopping offers something department stores can’t: the story. When you give someone a handcrafted pen, you don’t just say “I got you a pen.” You say “I met this veteran woodworker at a festival, and he told me about the wood in this piece, and I thought you’d appreciate the craftsmanship.” The gift becomes a narrative, not just an object.

    There’s also the serendipity factor. You can’t plan to stumble across the perfect piece — it has to find you. Rex often talks about customers who weren’t looking for anything specific but left with exactly what someone on their list needed.

    Early festival shopping also means you get first pick of truly unique pieces. By December, artisans have sold their most striking work. In the fall, you have access to pieces that will never be made again — one-of-a-kind items that can’t be found on any website (everything we sell is on ours though! LOL) or in any store come holiday season.

    We’ve started keeping a “gift notes” file for customers who buy pieces months ahead of when they’ll give them. “This cutting board is for my son’s wedding in October.” “The resin pendant is for Mom’s birthday in February.” It helps us remember the stories behind the purchases and adds a personal touch when we see them again.

    The anticipation factor is underrated too. There’s something wonderful about having that perfect gift already chosen and waiting, knowing that while everyone else is fighting crowds in December, you’re already done — with something infinitely more thoughtful than anything they’ll find in the rush.

    So next time you’re wandering through a summer festival, don’t just think about what you want for yourself. Think about the people you love, the occasions coming up, the joy of giving something that no one else will have thought to find.

    The holidays are coming whether you’re ready or not. But the perfect gifts for them? Those are available right now.