The UAB, which holds events for students and the surrounding community, is run by MSU students that provide "unique, high quality" experiences that contribute to student growth. This event, which was free to enter, acted to connect the community through arts and crafts while also fundraising for the UAB – as the vendor booth fees were donated to the UAB. 

One vendor in particular, Amanda LaVigne of LaVigne pottery, said this event has opened up many new opportunities to allow her business to grow and get her name out there. 

"My experience today has been great so far," LaVigne said. "Doing sales like this is very good for me. Just to get my name out there and to get my pottery in peoples hands is an amazing thing, and because of events like this I feel like I’m growing by doing bigger sales."

LaVigne's table featured Christmas themed Santa ornaments, bowls, spoon rests and mugs, all of which were handcrafted by LaVigne herself. She hopes that in the future she can do pottery full time.

Like LaVigne, Andrew Goodwin of Alpine Crossing family farms in Fowlerville Michigan said events like this can help grow a small town business. 

"This is our fourth straight year we’ve attended this event and it's phenomenal," Goodwin said. "We look forward to this event every year because this is our favorite event to attend. The localness is what makes this event so great. A lot of people from the local area come to support the local businesses around the area, and it’s great to see that support here in the community."

Goodwin, who graduated from MSU in 2020 with a degree in agriculture, said he calls MSU his "home" and loves that he has another opportunity to spread his family's business. His table featured crafts like handmade goat milk, soaps and lotions, all of which Goodwin and the farm specialize in making. 

The event stretched four floors inside of the Union Building, allowing an abundance of space for vendor tables, seating and walking room for the public. If guests were hungry, Sparty's Marketplace was open to feed customers. There were also a plethora of volunteers walking around, offering assistance to any community member in need. 

Local Michigander and avid shopper Amanda Sheffield said her experience was "off the charts" and gave props to the UAB for how the show was put together. 

"I normally don’t like the crowds, but they spaced it out really well and I feel like everyone has a mix of things this year," Sheffield said. "They don’t just have one style this year either. They’ve set it up to have all kinds of cool and interesting crafts. I’ve seen a lot of returning vendors, but also seen a variety of new vendors too, which is great because I love supporting local businesses."

Sheffield left with antlers, antique jewelry, repurposed Christmas items, soaps, creams and goat milk from Goodwin's table. 

Vendor Jeannie Barton said customers like Sheffield make the show "fun to vendor." Barton was running a table with breads, cakes and strudel sticks from Great Bread Company located in Allendale Michigan.

"My experience has been really good so far," Barton said. "I love this show and so has everyone else I’ve met. People are friendly and it's just an awesome show. Our main goal when coming to a show is to get our name out there, so it’s nice to have people come look for us."

Barton said the Great Bread Company will continue to travel around the state to events like this, and that they’ll hopefully be back for the next event in spring. 

UAB will host an even larger event in late spring. Coinciding with the East Lansing Art Festival, the UAB will invite around 330 vendors to the Union with the goal of attracting an estimated 40,000 patrons. This spring, the event will take place on May 18 and 19. More information can be found on the UAB website. 

Though with winter still in full swing and the holidays right around the corner, BFA acting senior Mel Dyke said this is the perfect time to shop for loved ones. 

"Me and my partner come to this event every year because it’s super fun and it’s one of my favorite ways to get gifts for Christmas," Dyke said. "The people here are so kind, so this is one of our favorite times of year because of this crafts event. There are things that stick out to me that I always remember."

Dyke bought whiskey rocks for their partner's family, as later this month they’ll join together for a secret Santa event. Dyke, who is an artist himself, said that seeing local art is what makes this event so special, and after he graduates he hopes to come back to attend more shows. 

"The more you come back, the more you see those new artists as well as old favorites," Dyke said. "After I graduate I’m for sure going to come back to this event, knowing that it’s still going to be here and it’s open to the public. It would be a cool way to connect with the campus even after I’m gone, because I have a lot of school pride and to be able to relive memories and see artists again would make my world."