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This church bazaar is a rising star

At Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, some inspired crafters shook up a tired old annual event, and it has grown wildly ever since.

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published October 13, 2006

NORTH TAMPA - Who knew that the Spirit could touch the hearts of a bunch of budding Martha Stewarts?

Let Jennifer Gregory tell you.

"We call ourselves junkers for Jesus," jokes Gregory, who six years ago had the idea that the talented people in her congregation could take their church bazaar from so-so to sensational.

For the annual event, which will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 21, Gregory and a posse of fellow parishioners from Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Tampa have spent the year combing garage and estate sales.

They snapped up silver, linens, furniture and original artwork.

They also potted plants for resale.

And they spent every Tuesday for the past eight months making crafts assembly-line style.

One woman began canning green beans, pickles and jams for the event. A senior loaned his woodworking skills. Another couple drove to South Carolina to pick apples to sell at the bazaar.

The massive bazaar took root after Gregory and others noticed that it was the guest vendors, not the church, taking home the majority of profits at the holiday sale.

"They paid $25 for a table and that was it," she recalls.

Gregory and a group of dedicated crafters reorganized the event and raised what seemed like a fortune that first year: $1,100. Last year, the sale brought in $14,000.

The money, she said, "helps people in our neighborhood, country and world." It helps tsunami victims, hurricane victims and migrant children, to name a few.

The church is more than a half-century old and attracts members from the nearby Forest Hills neighborhood, as well as Riverview, Carrollwood, Odessa, Temple Terrace, Wesley Chapel and Dade City.

Though the congregation is small and aging, the group of church crafters has grown steadily over the years. They range in age from their 40s to 80s, and are best known for making amazing things with gourds: elegantly painted poinsettia evening bags from canteen gourds; thatch-roof bird "cottages" from bushel gourds; elongated, folk-art Santas from bottleneck gourds that hang from what look like long monkey tails.

They also make amazing treasures from things that usually end up in the trash heap: Formica color cards, poker chips, discarded wooden shutters, old picture frames, vintage needlepoint, aprons, potholders, linens.

Old windows become coffee tables, bowling balls are transformed into yard art, and the centers of 33-speed vinyl records are resurrected as coasters.

The church women get inspiration from what the fancy stores are selling.

A $6,000 button-covered mannequin in a Tampa art gallery inspired Sonja Dickey to make a button-covered side table. She also makes exquisite light-up Christmas trees from handsome old costume jewelry.

"In an age when everyone is working and women really don't have the time for this sort of thing, they've found the time," Gregory said. "It's so unique because everyone does what they can individually."

Last week, the craft room at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church was crowded with handmade gifts, ornaments, artwork, centerpieces, refurbished antiques and furniture items, all waiting to be sold at the event.

The event has grown wildly since 2001, said Gregory.

It attracts a loyal following that includes bargain hunters, early Christmas shoppers, even flea market dealers who line up when the doors open to comb the fabled "Antique Attic."

The Tuesday night crafting sessions that provide much of the merchandise have turned into something akin to an old-fashioned quilting bee.

Church member Val Weeks said that, for her, the weekly gatherings are about "enjoying the evening, working for the church and doing something for others."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Forest Hills Presbyterian Church Holiday Bazaar

WHERE: 709 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 21.

FOR SALE: Homemade goods, antique and vintage items, books, records, puzzles, games, plants; Carolina apples and Georgia pecans for holiday baking. The church cafe will be open for breakfast and lunch.

INFORMATION: (813) 932-6149

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 11:51:39]