Herb Crew’s Winter Sale Returns; Allows Off-campus Visitors
Ciara McOmber | November 24, 2021
Ruby Jane Moser
Herb Crew member filling tea bags in the Herb Cabin.
After a rare year in absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Winter Sale is once again in full swing and scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., December 3 at the Morris Pavillion. Managed for almost two decades by the Warren Wilson College (WWC) Herb Crew, the sale is once again inviting students, faculty and off-campus guests. The sale is primed to have a scale similar to prior years but with some significant changes due to the ongoing pandemic.
The Winter Sale is an art and craft sale open to WWC community members. It’s been running for around twenty years and has long been a fixture of the campus community. Students, faculty and work crews alike sell their products at the Winter Sale. Live music has also been a common feature and will likewise return this year.
For some time, it looked as if off-campus community members and alumni would not be allowed at this year’s Winter Sale. According to Sarah Scott, a senior and Herb Crew member since 2020, the crew received permission to host off-campus visitors. This does, however, reiterate the problem of the ongoing pandemic.
“The hardest thing to try to balance right now are the COVID regulations because part of the magic was having it in Bryson with the lights — the Christmas lights, the twinkle lights — (and) the music!” Scott said. “But right now the capacity of Bryson is about 60 people, and we have about 60 vendors.”
Because of these limitations, Scott explained, the sale will be held outdoors. While the locale has changed, the scale has not. Based on vendors alone, the size rivals the largest prior Winter Sale events.
A challenge of the sale is limited space, meaning vendors often share tables. Although table-sharing has led to many positive experiences in the past, it remains to be seen how comfortable vendors will be sharing space during a pandemic. The application for the Winter Sale allows vendors to share tables with people they already know.
Kahli Brown, Fiber Arts Crew member and senior WWC student, has found sharing tables with others a very fulfilling experience. She vends smaller items, meaning she has always shared a table with another student.
“I’ve shared tables with interesting people selling interesting things; it’s been a lot of fun,” Brown said. “It’s gone really well for me. … Every year I’ve had a tablemate, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Brown describes herself as a Winter Sale veteran. She has been a vendor at every Winter Sale throughout her time here. Brown brought up one element of the sale sorely missed last year: community and connection.
“It definitely felt like something was missing,” Brown said. “Not just with the Winter Sale, but with events in general … Events open things back up a little — give you the opportunity to mingle with new people you wouldn’t normally mingle with on campus.”
Despite being absent for just one year, only one person on Herb Crew with experience managing the Winter Sale remains. Scott holds that honor.
“I was on Garden Crew during fall of 2019, and fall of 2019 was kind of our last big Winter Sale,” Scott said. “So I was able to be around, and be part of that, if on more of the garden side … I’m kind of the only person on Herb Crew that had a touch of that experience. So it’s kind of important for us to just make it magical again, to remember what it was like.”
Despite this and the challenges of the pandemic, Scott is optimistic about the crew’s ability to make the Winter Sale a success this year. The Herb Crew hopes the Winter Sale can be a healing time for the community. Their goal is to create a time to come together, outdoors and at a safe distance, and enjoy each other’s art and handiwork.
“We’re hoping that this is hope — a shimmer, for the future,” Scott said.
