Tag: Blue Moon Market

Posted on

Day 310: Blue Moon Market Holiday Open House

blue moon christmas exterior

For today’s first, I returned to Blue Moon Market, located at 613 S Main Street, in Joplin. I have visited this charming store a couple of times, and always enjoy browsing. Several firsts came together at the shop today as they host their Holiday Open House.

blue moon christmas

This was my first holiday open house of the season. I know some people dislike that Christmas products appear so early, usually before Halloween even. I understand though. I used to work in retail. For many businesses, sales this time of year mean the difference between thriving another year, or not. The earlier you can capture a share of the market, the better your chances are. It’s not meant to be commercialization…it is making it as a business. And, quite simply, I love this time of year. It brings me great joy to connect with the Christmas Spirit as I see trees go up and sparkling lights appear, cute snowmen huddled in clusters and red and green décor every. I have a small gift tag, printed with a quote from A Christmas Carol, that hangs in my house throughout the year. It reads: “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

blue moon christmas 8

This was also my first time to attend Blue Moon Market’s Holiday Open House. Described as a modern boutique with a vintage soul, this shop has a beautiful, whimsical appeal. Filled with unique finds that include jewelry, clothing, signs, note cards, home décor and vintage collectibles, there is something for everyone here. The store recently closed for a couple of days to prepare for the open house event. I’m sure I walked around with a smile on my face. The store was magical with Christmas items everywhere, artfully arranged, and general merchandise that would make perfect gifts for everyone. Or for me! I had a limited amount of time today, to shop, however I will return. I enjoyed a quick sweep through the store, and with permission, took pics to share here on the blog.

blue moon christmas 3  blue moon christmas 5

And, while I was browsing, I spied the perfect ornament for this year’s Christmas tree. Each year I purchase an ornament that represents my symbol for the year. I have butterflies, dragonflies, and silver hearts on the tree, as a reminder of previous years’ themes. Tucked into a display at Blue Moon Market I found golden birdcages, empty of course and in a variety of shapes. I selected a cage and I’ll find and purchase a small golden bird to clip onto a branch nearby, representing the bird free from its cage, which is my symbol for 2014.

blue moon christmas ornament

The Holiday Open House will continue at Blue Moon Market through this Saturday. What a fun and pleasant way to spend an hour, and mark items off the Christmas wish list at the same time!

blue moon christmas 7

Posted on

Day 79: Visit New Businesses During Third Thursday

Image

Today’s first took place during the kick off of Downtown Joplin’s wildly popular event, Third Thursday. Held each year, from March until October, on the third Thursday of the month (hence the name), this event is located from 7th Street to A Street on Main Street. Roads are blocked off, stores and restaurants stay open late and vendors, performers, musicians and artists line the streets and inhabit storefronts for the evening. Thousands of people stroll up and down Main and spill over onto neighboring avenues, viewing art, listening to a variety of music and catching up with friends.

The first day of spring was perfect, weather wise, and people turned out in huge numbers for the first Third Thursday of the year. Greg, sister Linda and I were some of those people! I’ve attended many Third Thursdays so that couldn’t be my first today. Therefore, I made a point of visiting a couple of businesses that I’ve not been to before.

Blue Moon Market, located at 613 S Main, features clothing, jewelry, accessories and distinctive home furnishings. My sister and I LOVED this store. I believe they have been open for a little while, but I had not made it by yet. What a lovely and eclectic mix of product. Linda and I just missed the hippie era, but we love the look of smocked oversized tops and loose comfy pants. Perfect yoga clothes are available here! Vintage items and jewelry caught our eyes as did painted signs and banners. There were even old doors for sale at the back of the shop. They truly do have a little bit of everything here. The store was very crowded with ladies ooohing and aaaahing over the merchandise so we intend to visit again very soon and shop.

The second business I visited during Third Thursday was RSVPaint, located at 420 S Main. Tonight was the Open House for this new venture in Joplin. Originating from Springfield, MO, where they have been very successful, RSVPaint offers a place to relax, sip, visit and paint. Classes are offered Thursday – Saturday in the evenings. In two hours, you can create a work of art to take home. It was fun to look at the sample pieces and classes offered. We passed this evening on the wine, that’s the sip part, but we did sign up for a class next week! It will be a great experience that we can share, and of course, a first for me.

What a great evening of strolling, looking, chatting with friends and listening to music. To my surprise and delight, there was even a young man, splendid looking in his kilt, playing the bagpipes. Now that’s not something you hear and see every day in Joplin! I’m glad I caught his performance. I look forward to the next Third Thursday, and the new adventures awaiting me there.

Image