Merry Elfin’ Christmas Market Brings Holiday Shopping and Giving to Joplin This Friday
JOPLIN, Mo. — Fresh off raising $30,000 for Honor Flight of the Ozarks in June, Zimmer Marketing is hosting the inaugural Merry Elfin’ Christmas Market on Friday, Dec. 5, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with free admission at the Joplin Expo Center at Northpark Mall.
“You hear some people say there’s nothing to do in the four states,” Zimmer Marketing General Manager Mark Zimmer said. “So, at Zimmer Marketing, we wanted to put on our own event, and we wanted to support our local business community, which has been struggling since COVID, because we have a lot of great businesses here. We wanted to do something to support our local businesses, and we wanted to throw a fun event. It’s going to be a free family-friendly event.”
“It’s a good way to decompress after a long work week and a good way to kick off the Christmas season. Christmas is one of our favorite times of the year, mine personally, and we just wanted to really double down. We’ve done events in the past. We haven’t done a Christmas event for a long time. So we’re giving it all we’ve got here.”
With more than 100 local vendors, boutiques, small businesses, and food trucks, shoppers can find handcrafted gifts, holiday décor, clothing, treats, and unique items, giving them a festive way to support the community and finish their Christmas lists. It’s a good spot to get all of your Christmas shopping done while staying local.
“There’s something for everybody,” Zimmer said. “I guarantee even for the dads who may be getting strung along, there’s going to be something for them there. Maybe they walk away with a new tattoo they’ve been thinking about for a long time. But over a hundred vendors in every category you can imagine. So there’ll be something for everyone. There’s going to be stocking stuffers, there’s going to be big gifts you can get, and why not treat yourself? You know, this is a stressful time of year, so anything we could do to make it a little bit easier for you, that’s what we’re looking to do.”
The four-hour event doubles as a toy drive, with attendees invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy or scan an on-site QR code to contribute to the local toy fund for children in need.
“So KIX 102.5 one of Zimmer’s stations, they’ve been supporting the Joplin Area Firefighters’ Christmas for Kids for many years now,” Zimmer said. “It all supports local children, local kids up to 16 years old. Applications have been sent in, and right now, we’re in a fundraising effort, so we’re looking to collect as many unwrapped toys as possible. Those toys are going to be delivered to some very happy kids who deserve and need a Merry Christmas. Their families may not be able to afford it. So it’s very important that our community band together and do what we can to support families here in the Four States in these times of need.”
Admission is free and open to the public. The Joplin Expo Center is located inside Northpark Mall at 530 S. Range Line Road. Updates and the vendor list are available on the Merry Elfin’ Christmas Market Facebook page.