J A C K S O N , M I S S I S S I P P I
For Mississippians, Mistletoe Marketplace is an annual event that's looked forward to year after year. It pulls in vendors and people from all over the country. So what's the history behind this highly recognizable event the Junior League of Jackson puts on? We thought it'd be cool to peel back the layers and see where it all started.
We had the chance to interview the first chairman of Mistletoe Marketplace ever, Renda McGowan. Renda recalls her proudest moment serving as Mistletoe Chair in 1980 was seeing all of the hard work, beginning from scratch and having nothing, through the dedication and commitment of everyone in the league, come together. "When I walked into the Trade Mart, it was an amazing sight to see the booths, decorations and cedar trees up. I felt like it was a monumental accomplishment. I wasn't sure how it'd be received, and I was blown awat when there were lines wrapped around the parking lot of people waiting to come inside," smiles Renda. Indeed it was. With only a $2K decorating budget, they had to borrow everything. The Junior League of Jackson made tree stands for all of the cedar trees that were donated. "Several members broke out in rashes because no one knew that you could be allergic to them," laughs Renda. The sewing committee made the awnings, created the name, the logo, all of it. They catered nothing... someone cooked dinners, and they even ran out of lunches within the first 45 minutes. They managed to get merchants from all over to participate. "We had a goal to make $20k and by the end of the first day, we made it. By the end of the second day, we more than doubled it," smiles Renda. When asked what she felt like Mistletoe does for the community, she had two things to say. "It's wonderful in that it kicks off the holiday season and brings together a venue with such a variety of shows and merchandise that you couldn't normally find in one location. Secondly, the money that it raises is absolutely phenomenal. The league is able to turn that back into projects throughout the year to give back to the Jackson community. From it's very umble beginnings, look at what it's evolved into and continuing to do."
We had the chance to interview the first chairman of Mistletoe Marketplace ever, Renda McGowan. Renda recalls her proudest moment serving as Mistletoe Chair in 1980 was seeing all of the hard work, beginning from scratch and having nothing, through the dedication and commitment of everyone in the league, come together. "When I walked into the Trade Mart, it was an amazing sight to see the booths, decorations and cedar trees up. I felt like it was a monumental accomplishment. I wasn't sure how it'd be received, and I was blown awat when there were lines wrapped around the parking lot of people waiting to come inside," smiles Renda. Indeed it was. With only a $2K decorating budget, they had to borrow everything. The Junior League of Jackson made tree stands for all of the cedar trees that were donated. "Several members broke out in rashes because no one knew that you could be allergic to them," laughs Renda. The sewing committee made the awnings, created the name, the logo, all of it. They catered nothing... someone cooked dinners, and they even ran out of lunches within the first 45 minutes. They managed to get merchants from all over to participate. "We had a goal to make $20k and by the end of the first day, we made it. By the end of the second day, we more than doubled it," smiles Renda. When asked what she felt like Mistletoe does for the community, she had two things to say. "It's wonderful in that it kicks off the holiday season and brings together a venue with such a variety of shows and merchandise that you couldn't normally find in one location. Secondly, the money that it raises is absolutely phenomenal. The league is able to turn that back into projects throughout the year to give back to the Jackson community. From it's very umble beginnings, look at what it's evolved into and continuing to do."
 Mistletoe Marketplace in 1993 |  1980 Mistletoe Steering Committee  2020 Mistletoe Steering Committee |
Fast forward to 1986, Mistletoe Chair, Tricia Walters, filled us in on the amazing growth and journey that six years brought. At this point in time, corporate sponsorships were a radical concept but with some encouragement from her predecessors and co-chairs, Tricia was able to gather financial and in-kind support from several local businesses. "Remember, this was before email, cell phones, etc. Everything was done via phone, fax, or face-to-face, and that took an enormous amount of time! I can't tell you how many "corporate conversations" I had holding both the phone and a small child, using whatever means necessary to keep said child from blowing my cover to the business person on the other end of the dialogue," laughs Tricia. "I'm amazed at what Mistletoe Marketplace has become thanks in part to the willingness of those first corporate partners who paved the way! Businesses and Junior League of Jackson volunteers united, turning a simple shopping event into 'magic' for the greater good."
To find out more about Mistletoe Marketplace and how to purchase tickets to the 40th Mistletoe Marketplace on November 4-7, 2020, please visit mistletoemarketplace.com. Tickets for the 2020 market are one sale now.
To find out more about Mistletoe Marketplace and how to purchase tickets to the 40th Mistletoe Marketplace on November 4-7, 2020, please visit mistletoemarketplace.com. Tickets for the 2020 market are one sale now.
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