Very Merry

Buy Kenzo

by Andrew Thompson

Big companies depend on a certain mentality at Christmastime: Buy your loved ones the fancy tech toys they've hinted at for the past three months or face some cold shoulders. They invest millions in marketing to inspire this paranoia- and guilt-based frenzy. Don't believe the hype.

This weekend, a different mentality will be in play, as a collection of artists and organizations in Kensington offer unique, Philly-made gifts. A Very Kensington Christmas (it's got a ring to it, no?), one of a handful of events sponsored by the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) this holiday season, offers a venue for local artists to vend handmade wares, hoping that getting something nobody else has trumps getting something everybody has.

A Very Kensington Christmas will feature the wares of 18 artists from the InLiquid network, offering a variety of different works and styles. In other words: one-stop shopping. "This isn't necessarily a high-end gallery; these are things you might want to give to your siblings or your parents," says Sarah Corlett, economic development director of the NKCDC.

Minna Aaparyti offers softly toned and delicately designed earrings of metal and stones. Kristina Boyesen is selling hand-bound books made from old leather that complement her jewelry. Liz Kinder makes eclectically styled ceramics. Zivile Pupinyte brings her bold necklaces featuring ingredients seemingly from every corner of the world. 1Girl 1Boy specializes in whimsically styled block-printed children's T-shirts (pictured).

More importantly, you won't break the bank; prices top out at $199. And you can do it all in a giant green room at the urban farm Greensgrow which means that yes, plants, seasonal greenery and fresh produce will also be available.(See Loose Canon on p. 5.)

It's been a long road for Kensington and Frankford Avenue. The Christmas festival is a sign that the NKCDC's neighborhood renewal efforts are bearing fruit.

"I think it's pretty significant for people to look at that list of things that are going on and realize it's all happening right here," says Corlett, who says this is the first year the area will see this level of commerce.

Indeed, A Very Kensington Christmas is but one holiday event staged by the NKCDC and local vendors this month. In the past two weeks, Rocket Cat Café, Standard Tap, Plaid Pony Village and others have all used their spaces to turn the area in and around Frankford Avenue into a makeshift Christmas marketplace.

But it's now two weeks till Christmas, and what have you done? In other words, if you haven't finished checking off yoru list, get thee to Kensington — if not this weekend, then on Dec. 20, when the folks at Greensgrow will give you one last chance to rise above the Best Buy or Borders gift card.

A Very Kensington Christmas | Dec. 13-14 and 20, 1-6 p.m., Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St., inliquid.com