Heart & Hands Health Collective is holding a holistic, wellness-based craft fair powered by women on Sunday, Nov. 30. There is an admission cost of $2–5 at the door and all proceeds will go to the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness.
Christina Chan is at the head of the Heart & Hands Health Collective, which provides affordable and community-oriented acupuncture sessions. Aimed at relieving not only physical pain but also mental and spiritual pain, this craft fair is a microcosm of body-and-mind healing services, foods, and trinkets, all under one acupuncture studio’s roof.
One of the event’s highlights will be its spotlight on working women—there is only one man, part of a duo called Barefoot Wellness Travelling Spa, among the vendors. Chan says this was a coincidence, as her idea for the fair was conceived during a women’s clothing swap, but she has taken a liking to the female-run fair and hopes to run it bi-annually.
Alannah Leigh, a jewelry designer, will be selling headbands and crowns with semi-precious stones. “I think every woman’s best friend should be rose quartz because it heals the heart and it’s so warm of a stone. It’s so calm,” she says. Leigh explains that different crystals and stones have various properties, and so every item she sells is unique, just like every person who may buy one is one of a kind, too. “So you could have the stones helping mental states or to calm you or to inspire creativity,” she says. “Things like that, just depending on the headband or crown that you wear.”
Penelope Hagan, founder of Lone Peep Creative Therapies, will be selling spiritual artwork and gift certificates for services such as thai massage, cosmic haircuts or tarot card readings, and she may even drop down a mat for a yoga demo. She welcomes newcomers with open arms. “Using therapies like mine, it’s [a] conversation with yourself,” she says. “You don’t have to be esoteric, you don’t have to believe in mumbo jumbo. It’s more of a process of self-reflection and self-discovery.”
Chan, also an acupuncturist, believes this fair is coming at the perfect time of year. She says it is important to keep self-care in mind, especially with the holidays approaching. “A lot of people usually run themselves ragged and kind of forget that they should be resting and relaxing during that time,” she explains. “It is the holidays; we are supposed to be having time off.”
Heart & Hands hopes to produce at least $200 to donate to the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. Executive Director Andrew Wynn-Williams plans to put any donated money into the Homeless Prevention Fund.
Made With Heart & Hands: Holistic Health Craft fair runs Sunday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Heart & Hands Health Collective is located at 851 Cormorant St. For more information visit heartandhandscommunity.ca.
