When the Blue Genie Art Bazaar opened for the first time in 2001, founding member Dana Younger didn't realize the art show and sale would take over his holiday season for the next fifteen years (and counting).
"Yeah, it's amazing that this is our sixteenth year, but it's a neat thing about traditions" he says. "And it's not just a tradition to us and the artists, but it's a tradition to the community, too."
Once a fairly small showing of arts and crafts created by the members of Blue Genie Art Industries, the bazaar has grown to include works by some 200 local and regional artists, and it's now open daily from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. For Younger, the bazaar has become synonymous with the holiday season..
"You know, it's been so long, I hardly remember what it's like to have a normal Thanksgiving or Christmas," he says. "We call it 'the season,' and it's super busy for everybody. But it's fun and it's exciting."
The bazaar is a curated show, and the producers aim to have unique art and craft items on hand, but also to make sure there are plenty of items for sale for a reasonable price for folks looking to buy holiday gifts. "We love being a part of the community and getting to sit at that confluence of art and commerce and community," Younger says. "It's a really special place and we enjoy it."
The Blue Genie Art Bazaar runs through Christmas Eve at its new location at 6100 Airport Blvd.
