The Thread: Midnight Shopper, Holiday-Market Roadtrips, And More

Mass Ave
Mass Ave at night. Credit: Indianapolis Monthly
“Nice pieces handmade by nice people” is the spirit behind Fair Market at Companion (3715 Washington Blvd.), a new Midtown emporium opening this weekend (inside a house) with clothing, furniture, ceramics, and other art objects.

Mass Ave’s Midnight Shopper returns on Friday, Nov. 19, when 13 stores will stay open until Saturday morning strikes. Several bars and restaurants will sell hot chocolate and cider to go as you stroll from place to place.

Komäfi, a local streetwear label, is throwing a party for the release of its fall collection on Saturday, Nov. 20, 3–8 p.m., at Re:Public art space (2301 E. 10th St.). Pay attention to the details on the clothing, which is available for purchase.  

Halston is back on the racks at Saks Fifth Avenue (The Fashion Mall) with dressy-casual pieces from the Fall 2021 collection, including an emphasis on sweaters and silk dresses.

The holiday markets are in full swing. If you’re in the mood for a roadtrip, here are a couple worthy destinations this weekend. Harvest Market takes place at one of Indiana’s oldest working farms, Whippoorwill Hill outside of Bloomington, on Friday night and Saturday during the day, anchored by more than 30 artisanal vendors along with live music, hayrides, firepits, and food trucks. The Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt on Saturday and Sunday features only handmade items in 200 lavishly decorated booths in a town with the rich Bavarian heritage to pull off this traditional old-world festival. There’s even a live glockenspiel cuckoo clock. The booths are spread across six sites connected by a shuttle. On Saturday night, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a free concert of carols, too.

In town, the 50th annual Junior League of Indianapolis Holiday Mart lights up the Indiana State Fairgrounds Nov. 19–21 with a reliably stellar roster of vendors tailored for holiday shopping and stocking up on party provisions. The Irvington Historical Society’s Holiday Fair puts an emphasis on books during its annual sale of artisan wares on Nov. 19 and 20. And the Handmade Vintage Market at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Noblesville on Nov. 20 elevates the genre as a juried fair of more than 50 top-shelf small businesses.