Art market brings local vendors out with valentine flair

With Valentine’s Day peeking around the corner, vendors at the Tahlequah Art and Craft Market showed their love for shoppers at the Cherokee County Community Building on Feb. 10.

Dozens of vendors displayed their one-of-a-kind creations. There were sweets and treats, herbal remedies, gift baskets, jewelry, honey, and music supplied by Eddie Glenn.

One of the vendors was Wise Cat Apothecary, which specializes in herbal lotions, salves, teas, extracts, and bath salts. Owner Tabatha Hibbs, with the help of her husband, Mark Paulissen, launched the business a little over two years ago.

“I started in herbalism personally as a way to manage my fibromyalgia,” Hibbs said. “I do not respond well to many of the pharmaceuticals prescribed for fibro. I was looking for ways to manage my pain and energy levels.”

The idea of selling her items came from a friend.

“I had a friend diagnosed with breast cancer,” Hibbs said. “I created a restorative tea for her. It really helped and she said, ‘You should sell that.’ So, I started selling it. And then, Mark said I should do this full time.”

Many of her remedies came from customers’ requests.

“A friend’s husband has arthritis,” Hibbs said. “I created a special ginger turmeric tea. It’s a good blend that helps with inflammation. What they were buying at the store either doesn’t work or tastes bad from all the additives and stuff in it.”

Hibbs explained how she came up with the name for her business.

“I’m a cat lover. I was in the kitchen one day just piddling around, and my cat, Cattywampus, was sitting on the barstool watching me. And I thought, you know, I need a name. And my cat was looking at me like, ‘Duh.’ and I said, ‘You’re such a wise cat.’ Cattywampus is the CEO. That stands for cat executive officer,” Hibbs said.

The difference between Hibbs’ herbal remedies and those people can buy in big box stores is that her ingredients are organic and contain no synthetics.

“I make everything in-house, by myself,” Hibbs said. “You can find me all summer at the Farmers’ Market, and I also have a website.”

On the other side of the building was Sista K. Kreations. Scores of baskets holding candy, plush toys, and Valentine’s hearts were created by owner Gwen Keys, a long-time Tahlequah resident.

Keys designs and creates baskets for most holidays. She makes gift baskets suitable for significant others, spouses, parents, and children.

“I do Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, and birthdays,” Keys said. “I try to sell here in the community building, but if nothing’s going on, I go right down to the corner of Lee Street and sell them there. You can find me on my Facebook page.”

Near the front entrance was a booth specializing in local honey products. M3 Bee Farms is owned by Mike Landry, who began his bee business 12 years ago.

“I actually live in Owasso, but I have bees here,” Landry said. “I run about 100-150 hives a year.”

Honey has been said to help with allergies by slowly raising a person’s tolerance to the affecting pollen.

“Bees bring in the pollen from that area. So local honey will give you a small dose of that pollen,” Landry said.

Besides having a website with all his bee products for sale, Landry travels to many events in the Tahlequah area.

“I do Farmers’ Market, Go Ye Village, and Red Fern Festival,” Landry said.

Landry pulls honey three times each year. The taste of honey differs, based on when it is pulled.

“Early in the year, you will get a light honey from fruit trees,” Landry said. “I pull again in July and you’ll get a lot of wildflowers in it. Then, I pull in the fall. It’s a much darker honey than you get in the spring.”

What started out as recreation for Landry turned into a passion.

“I always loved to hunt and fish,” Landry said. “As I got older, hunting didn’t appeal to me as much. But when I retired, I wanted to be outdoors. I started beekeeping and now it’s a full-time job. It keeps me out of the rocking chair.”

If there was one thing Landry wanted people to know, it’s to “buy local honey.”

The “buying local” theme was echoed by most of the vendors. Buying local helps the local economy and strengthens the community as a whole. Buying from local artisans spreads the love all year long, not just on Valentine’s Day.

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