“Stay safe and stay open” is a theme of this year’s Holiday Village market on the New Haven Green, city officials announced Thursday.
The annual holiday shopping opportunity, modeled on outdoor markets in Europe and New York’s Bryant Park, opened Thursday at 4 p.m. and continues through Saturday.
“Although we’re not out of the pandemic, we’re getting closer and we’re able to celebrate together,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said. Elicker was also slated to helm the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony later on Thursday.
With a recent statewide surge in COVID-19 cases and the arrival of the Omicron variant in the U.S., city officials stressed that mask-wearing and social distancing were encouraged for all holiday events on the Green.
“We worked really hard to ensure the safety precautions were taken into consideration,” New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond said. Although the Omicron variant has yet to be reported in Connecticut, “we’re watching it closely,” Bond said. “There’s still a lot of unknowns.”
With one kiosk at the market set aside for child vaccinations, Bond and Elicker stressed that it was still a city priority to encourage more people to get the shots.
Mayor Justin Elicker speaks at the opening of the New Haven Holiday Village market on Dec. 2, 2021.
Also enlisting in the vaccination effort was Avelo Airlines, which promised four free round-trip tickets to Florida from Tweed New Haven Airport to be awarded by lottery to one family that got a child vaccinated on Thursday.
“We’re so thrilled at how welcomed we have been,” Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said, adding later that the airline has filled about 80% of the seats on its 100-plus flights from New Haven since it launched its service on Nov. 3. “We’re off to a great start,” Levy said.
Orlando and Ft. Myers are the most popular destinations for Tweed-originating travelers, Levy said. In addition, about 20% of Avelo’s total passengers have been originating their trips in Florida, reflecting strong demand for flights to New Haven. By the end of the year, Levy said he expects Tweed will be home to seven of Avelo’s 737 aircraft.
Holiday Village vendor Candice Dorman was busy decorating her kiosk on Thursday afternoon to showcase her hemp and CBD products, Ekow Body Natural Skin Care. Artfully packaged gift sets of body butter and pain cream lay on tables ready to catch shoppers’ eyes.
A New Haven resident who makes all of her products in the city, Dorman said she welcomed the market as an opportunity to sell directly to customers and perhaps add to her roster of retail outlets, which now consists of Bloom in Westville and Elm City Market.
“I’m really excited that more people are learning about the benefits of this really amazing plant,” Dorman said of hemp, adding that CBD products had helped cure her son’s eczema. Her son’s Ghanaian name, Ekow, gives the line its name. Shea butter she brought home from a trip to Ghana is another key ingredient.
“My hope is to get pain relief and skin care to as many people as possible,” Dorman said. “I really want to be a part of that — the gift of relief.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com
