Birchwood Mall to host 70 special booths
By Barb Pert Templeton
Shopping for a unique present for your Valentine, that goes beyond the standard candy and flowers, can be a challenge but an upcoming event at a local mall could solve the problem.
Stopping by the fourth annual Valentine’s Vendor Show at Birchwood Mall in Fort Gratiot, just outside the Port Huron city boundary, could solve all your shopping concerns.
The event is set for Saturday, Feb. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the mall.
Advertisements - Click the Speaker Icon for Audio
Nicole Kade, the independent organizer of craft and vendor shows for St. Clair County, the manager of the Algonac Farmers Market and the owner of Country Cabin Crafts, said the hosts four events at Birchwood Mall annually. The holiday show in November is particularly popular and brings hundreds of people through the mall each year.
Vendor spaces of 10 x 10 are $40 and the upcoming event is pretty well sold out now.
“We try to make this affordable so everyone can participate,” Kade said.
The Valentine Vendor Show will boast 70 vendors all lined up in the center hallways of the mall with everything from handmade crafts to baked goods for sale.
In addition to all the regular retailers at the mall the Valentine’s Vendor Show will bring 70 additional sellers to the mall on Feb. 11.
“These are the small business owners who aren’t normally part of the store front shops in the mall,” Kade said.
The Valentine’s Day theme will be present with a backdrop setup for visitors to take photos in front of with their cell phone cameras and some regular mall retailers will be offering different deals.
In addition, some of the vendors will offer raffle prizes throughout the day.
Kade said hosting the event will allow the public to checkout existing shops at the mall plus see recent improvements at the venue including new stores. She said there are dozens of shops in the mall currently with more spots opening up all the time.
Birchwood Mall, all 860,000 square feet, was constructed in 1990 and opened for business in Fort Gratiot in 1991. At that time, some 31 years ago now, the mall boasted over 100 stores and a large food court area.
Today the mall website lists 55 different shops including clothing, specialty stores and food options. Anchor stores that remain include JC Penney and Target and there’s also an AMC Theatre.
Eating choices fall to fast foods like Taco Bell and SBARRO Pizza or regular full-service restaurants like Texas Roadhouse and Panera Bread. Mall hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Birchwood Mall is located at 4350 24th Avenue, Fort Gratiot. For more information contact Kade at (810) 294-7688.
