by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

The spirit of the Gypsy Sisters will be felt at Claremont United Church of Christ Friday and Saturday, when Claremont Artisans Collective holds its winter market.

The event runs from 3 to 8 p.m. December 6, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 7. The collective is led by Shelli Weldon.

“We’ve always wanted to have a space for local artists to sell, because a lot of us have the desire to create,” Weldon said. “And it’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to sell your art and be appreciated in the community.”

The market, at 233 Harrison Ave., will include work from 27 artisans, and music from Roy Durnal on Friday and the ShamaMamahS on Saturday.

“We will also have an interactive painting demo by one of our artists, who is also an art professor in LA, Glenn Grishkoff,” Weldon said.

Gypsy Sisters co-founder Helen Feller goes through her archives on Monday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Helen Feller and the late Jan Wheatcroft founded Gypsy Sisters in 1994. They retired the name in 2019, turning over the concept to artist and exhibitor Aleta Jacobson, who rechristened it Art Mob Market. Earlier this year Weldon rebranded the market as Claremont Artisans Collective.

Wheatcroft, who died April 2023, remains a silent force at the market she co-founded. “She’s always on our mind,” Weldon said. “The spirit of the group is a sisterhood and we all, we’re like minded. I’ve gone back to that very first time that I sold with them and honoring that feeling when you walk in and you feel it, the camaraderie, the spirit, the respect, it’s something that we all talk about and I’m trying to recapture that because when Covid happened, we all sort of felt exhausted and sad that we couldn’t be together. Now we’re excited and we’re looking forward to it.”

The public is invited to peruse and purchase from the 27 vendors who will be showing in the basement of Claremont United Church of Christ, 233 Harrison Ave. Coffee and tea will also be provided. The sale runs from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, December 6, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, December 7.

“We’ll have music playing and people hugging and laughing and, yeah it’s a wonderful experience,” Weldon said.