Winter in New York is a memorable experience; the fresh snow quickly transitions into a brown-puddled mess, leaving freezing water in the shoes of quickly-moving passersby. The wind picks up and a bone-chilling cold takes over. Every pedestrian moves briskly, unwilling to stop until they can enter the warm indoors. Winter in New York can be harsh and unforgiving, but nevertheless, it is beautiful. As New Yorkers stroll by, they admire trees wrapped in starlight, smell the pine of evergreens, and feel the warmth of the holidays approaching. This charm is enough to stop even the most sullen of people in their tracks. Within the annual Union Square Holiday Market, there is only joy; the entrances are bedecked in decoration and each booth is lively and gorgeous on its own. Together, the shops become a layered semi-circle of paradise. Winter in New York can be perfect if you take advantage of all the city has to offer!
When you enter the Union Square Holiday Market, everything else fades away. The cold becomes a mere background; time becomes an irrelevant construct amid all the wonder of over 150 vendors. Nestled between Union Square East and West on 14th Street in Manhattan, America’s best holiday market has everything you could possibly want this holiday season!
A New Yorker’s Favorite Booths
Breezy Hill Orchard
This Hudson Valley farm vendor might just be my favorite booth to visit. With hot apple cider, apple cider donuts, chocolate chip cookies, and the most delicious gingersnaps, Breezy Hill never fails to cheer me up. When the Holiday Market opens up for the year, my first stop is always here, to procure a large, delicious gingersnap cookie. If you are looking for a classic winter flavor or a freshly produced snack, this booth is the perfect place to visit!
Shaya NYC Fine Handcrafted Jewelry
One of my favorite pieces in the shop, a necklace, is handmade by the owner, Shaya Mehubad. The necklaces are each unique, in different colors and sizes. They are made with two or three overlapping hoops of different materials, merging gold, silver, rose gold, and obsidian to form a beautiful design. Shaya signs and crafts every piece he makes, curating each uniquely to the buyer. He even names most of his designs after the client who inspired them, such as the Florentine necklace, or Elodie earrings. Most of these designs are simple and geometric, reflecting Manhattan’s grid structure and the “feminine sensibility” of the women of New York. There are many elegant and classic pieces that could become a staple in your jewelry collection, as they have in mine.
Dr. Silkman’s Body Emporium
Plenty of booths have all types of candles and lovely aromas wafting from them, but Dr. Silkman’s takes delicious scents to another level. With candles that smell like vanilla, lavender, cinnamon, and more, stopping at this booth will surely make you hungry. Instead of simply making a standard candle, this vendor combines the warmth and smell of a candle with the texture and moisture of shea butter. The butter keeps the melting temperature low so that the candle is only slightly warm to the touch. When you light it, you can dip your finger right into the candle and rub the shea butter into your skin as a moisturizer. It is slightly warm, extremely soothing, and smells amazing. Dr. Silkman’s is just the place to go if you are looking for the perfect gift or self-care product!
For the Chocolate-Lovers:
United Chocolate Works
If you are looking for a wonderful chocolate gift, look no further than United Chocolate Works. They have the perfect gift for a construction enthusiast: an entire toolbox made entirely from chocolate. Meticulously crafted and delicious, these tools would turn heads at any holiday gathering. However, the chocolatey fun does not stop there. They also have a delicious hot chocolate, which you can customize with sprinkles, whipped cream, a toasted marshmallow, and even a chocolate-tool topper!
No Chewing Allowed
If you want a fun gift for a chocolate lover or are in need of some delicious hot chocolate, check out No Chewing Allowed. The booth allows sampling of some of their chocolates for tourists to try before they make a purchase, something I heavily recommend. Their hot chocolate is rich and flavorful, composed of a rich chocolate truffle and their signature mixture. They first place a chocolate truffle at the bottom of the cup and then complete the beverage by pouring their creamy hot chocolate on top. It is truly delicious! In terms of chocolate pieces, they have many different sizes of their French truffles. Not to mention, they also have a variety of flavors including pistachio, orange peel, and coffee bean. When I spoke to the employees, they said, “The fan favorites are the popcorn and raspberry; the popcorn has crunch and the raspberry is super sweet!”
For Animal Lovers:
If you are searching for a gift for your pet, Woofcessories is the place to go. They sell coats, collars, toys, and many more adorable goods. If you want a gift for a pet lover, check out SM Wardrobe. They have an entire clothing line in animal print, mainly of cats and dogs, consisting of sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts, and more. There is also Sabyloo, a vendor that specializes in animal socks with every dog breed printed on a different colored pair of socks.
Vendors With a Mission
If you are looking to give back while you give gifts to your loved ones (or to yourself!), the Union Square Holiday Market has plenty of vendors with a story and a goal!
Babka Bailout and Bwé Kafe
This booth holds two different companies; one specializing in babkas, a traditionally sweet bread originating from Poland and Ukraine, and the other in drip coffee and hot chocolate. I interviewed Lucy Hardigan, an employee at Bwe Kafe. “I’ve been working at Bwé since 2021 and I absolutely love it, it’s a super cool place,” said Hardigan. “Bwé means ‘drink coffee’ in Haitian Creole, and the coffee that we are famous for is a dark roast blend of Honduras and Haitian coffee.”
Bwé is a family enterprise that began with the goal of giving back to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. They loved the coffee beans in Haiti which inspired them to curate a Haitian blend for their store. Since the country’s natural disaster, Bwé has donated a large percentage of their proceeds to Love for Haiti, an educationally focused initiative that offers higher education scholarships to students in Haiti. Their mission is to create a sustainable source of funding for Love for Haiti, which now supports 23 full-time students. As the largest contributor, Bwè Kafe continuously seeks new ways to serve their local and global communities.
“One of my coworkers was actually in the program that Bwé donates to before he came to the United States. He was in their educational initiative program and when he came here he ended up getting a job at Bwé,” said Hardigan.
After trying the drip coffee I must say, as a New Yorker who runs on caffeine, Bwé’s drip coffee is definitely worth it. If you are looking for something to pair with your coffee, head straight to Babka Bailout. “If you are looking for something savory, the Zaatar Feta Mozzarella Babka is really good, but my personal favorite is the Ube Babka. It is unique and rare in desserts so it is worth a try,” said Hardigan.
Pixie Doodle Farm
When the harsh, cold winds of winter begin taking a toll on you, sometimes a perfect, warm cup of tea is all you need. For this, I have to recommend Pixie Doodle Farm, which not only sells excellent tea but has a touching mission. I spoke with the owner, Erika Boudreau-Barbee, about her goal to bring plant medicine and free herbalism to her broader community. “We started the company in 2021. Right now, we make our teas in Queens, but we have a plot of land in Bethel, New York. We want to bring natural health and healing to our communities. We have always had an herbal practice at home, and though we don’t have a storefront, we are at many different pop-ups. Each tea is handcrafted individually to ensure a consistent flavor and medicinal benefits. We are an Eco-conscious company using compostable and recycled materials instead of plastic,” said Boudreau-Barbee. They have partnered with New Jersey Angels, a foster-care non-profit, to make teas for the organization and raise money for foster care.
If you are looking for something to warm you up as you continue wandering through the market, I would recommend the Winter Blend, made with Turmeric Root, Cocoa Nibs, Ashwagandha Root, Cardamom, Cinnamon, and Licorice Root. “It just makes you feel cozy,” said Boudreau-Barbee.
Article 22
This beautiful booth features their PEACEBOMB collection, which consists of jewelry made from the shrapnel and debris left behind by the millions of undetonated bombs dropped in Laos during the Vietnam War. I interviewed Kendall Silwonuk, Article 22’s Sales and Market Manager. “Our goal is to create beauty in the face of destruction. By transforming something negative into something positive, Laotian artisans create meaningful jewelry from aluminum shrapnel,” said Silwonuk.
Each piece of jewelry helps the Mines Advisory Group clear unexploded bombs, in turn making land safer and providing new metal to artisans to craft more original designs. “Laos is the most heavily bombed country in world history, and the United States dropped 250 million bombs on Laos. About 80 million of them failed to detonate, leaving behind shrapnel and other dangerous debris,” said Silwonuk. Proceeds also go to efforts to give back to traditional artisan livelihoods and support for village development in Vietnam.
Three Bluebirds
Three Bluebirds reimagines cleaning supplies sustainably and adorably. Bluebirds is committed to being 100% sustainable while simultaneously developing designs that brighten up your kitchen immediately. Their reusable Swedish dishcloths can be washed over 200 times and last up to 9 months of daily use. One of these cloths is the equivalent to over 17 rolls of paper towels! They restore 20 gallons of water to the earth and are compostable. I have used their cloths for years since I first discovered them at the Holiday Market and can confirm that they are indeed a great purchase.
Union Square is busy and bustling year-round, and the holidays are no different. Despite the crowds, the Holiday Market remains cozy and is a delightful experience. There are so many vendors to check out and never too long of a line. If you are in need of some holiday shopping, want to check out local vendors, or are simply looking for a fun activity, take the subway down to Union Square and get started!
Union Square is busy and bustling year-round, and the holidays are no different. Despite the crowds, the Holiday Market remains cozy and is a delightful experience.