The Sandy Springs Society

What is The Elegant Elf Marketplace?

The Elegant Elf Marketplace is our premier fundraiser, held every November.  This stylish two-day gift market is full of fabulous, extraordinary shopping opportunities.  We feature carefully selected vendors who offer exceptional hand-crafted items, from distinctive crafts and beautiful artistic creations to the latest gourmet delights — all perfect for gift-giving, home enhancement, or personal enjoyment.

Established in 2011, The Elegant Elf Marketplace is fast becoming a treasured community tradition and a destination event.  It has already grown from 65 to more than 80 vendors, attracted throngs of happy holiday season shoppers, and earned the enthusiastic support of a growing list of generous corporate, foundation and individual sponsors.

In just two years, The Elegant Elf Marketplace has netted more than $120,000 for the Sandy Springs Society’s philanthropic grants program, through which we fund other non-profit groups working to promote and improve Education, the Arts, the Environment, Heritage Preservation and Social Services in Sandy Springs.

FEATURING TWO RETURNING VENDORS:

Both have participated in The 2011 and 2012 Elegant Elf Marketplaces -- we are excited to have them back!

Catherine Wendahl
Atlanta, GA

 Catherine designs and hand makes beautiful high fashion multi-use shawls, jabot scarves and fringed vests. 

William C. Wood
Clinton, MS 

William creates exquisite botanical metal sculptures of American wild flowers.

The Elegant Elf Marketplace 2013 at Lake Forest Elementary School

Lake Forest opened in 2008 and is one of seven Fulton County public elementary schools in Sandy Springs.  It is a Title I Distinguished School – meaning that the students at Lake Forest are consistently achieving at academically-distinguished levels despite daunting daily obstacles in their young lives.  Nearly 98% of Lake Forest’s students live well below the poverty line, and receive free or reduced-price lunches through Title I support.  The student body includes 90% Hispanic students, 82% of whom speak English as a second language.  More than half of the faculty holds Master’s-level or higher advanced degrees, and many teachers and staff are bi-lingual in English and Spanish.  Lake Forest is a warm, happy and cheerful place, where children are visibly engaged in learning from caring and supportive teachers. 

Principal Harvey Oaxaca has made it possible for the Sandy Springs Society to present The Elegant Elf Marketplace 2013 at Lake Forest, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to shine the spotlight on this remarkable school.  As part of our collaboration with Lake Forest, the Society will be making a substantial payment directed to funding students’ field trips during the 2013-2014 school year.  We’re delighted to help provide more hands-on, enriching learning experiences to the Lake Forest “Lions”!

The Elegant Elf Marketplace Mission

• To raise funds that will be used to support secular non-profit groups whose work improves the quality of life in Sandy Springs
• To create a festive, fun, unique and highly-anticipated shopping destination for Sandy Springs and the expanded Atlanta region
• To provide an inviting venue where vendors of high-quality, hand-crafted goods can successfully promote their trade to crowds of discriminating shoppers
• To support our vendors’ success with a strong volunteer force who will promote the Elegant Elf Marketplace effectively and widely
• To give all our participants — vendors, sponsors, and shoppers — a memorable, exquisite and delightful experience that they’ll want to repeat each year.

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