By Mike Steely

Senior Writer

steelym@knoxfocus.com

Are you looking for something unique to give as a gift for Christmas or other occasions in November and December? How about choosing something made locally by talented craftspeople and artisans?

The Maker City organization will feature online gifts in an auction format every Monday on Instagram @themakercity using the hashtag #TheMakerCityHolidays. They will also be hosting a digital Holiday Gift Guide at https://themakercity.org/giftguide.

The Maker City is a community of Knoxville-area makers, artists, creatives and small-scale manufacturers. Led by the Mayor’s Maker Council, the group creates partnerships, programming and opportunities for Knoxville’s maker community.

More than 400 makers belong to the organization which continues to grow.

Courtney Hendricks is the director for Maker Initiatives and liaison between the group and the Knoxville mayor.

“We have created a weekly Holiday Marketplace where different makers are presented each week. The most important piece is any purchases made go directly to the makers, 100 percent,” Hendricks said, adding, “We will also have a digital Holiday Gift Guide available throughout the season.”

The Holiday Marketplace was launched in 2020 when in-person markets were mostly shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. This second year of effort will spotlight talent from the community every Monday for the next two months. Three to five goods will be posted on the Instagram account and shoppers can bid from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and the sale ends that day. Items range from candles to photography, hand-thrown pottery and custom jewelry.

Maker City supports local craftspeople and businesses and nothing says “you mean a lot to me” as much as a gift of a one-of-a-kind item made by local hands.