A towering air dancer made of ripstop nylon waved joyfully at the entrance, signaling that Little Joyfest had begun. On Sunday, Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., TREEHOUSE kid and craft hosted an outdoor market and mini festival filled with charms, crafts, art, trinkets, food and music. The Little Joyfest was held in the grounds behind the store and offered an array of events for community members of all ages.
“It was just a wild idea,” Kristen Bach, “Chaos Creator” and owner of TREEHOUSE said. “I just wanted to have a day that was filled with happiness and love and kindness, and to take the seriousness and the weight out of everything.”
Sonny & Friends trading took place during the whole event, with a focused community meet-up from noon to 2 p.m.
“Ice Cream Dreamer” and TREEHOUSE employee Emma Scott manned the vegan oatmilk soft serve ice-cream bar where people could order any of their specials and cover them with sprinkles.
“I think this is definitely, like the biggest turnout we’ve had for an event at treehouse,” Scott said. “It’s just amazing to see so many artists and things like this always make me feel really happy to be part of Athens and just part of the artistic community.”
At 1 p.m. the Puppy Snuggle Booth opened with puppies from local animal rescue, Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter. The booth allowed people to play with up-for-adoption puppies to bring awareness to their organization and get more adoptions.
“TREEHOUSE has been my favorite toy store, like in the whole world,”Hannah Becker, a University of Georgia alum said. “I dream about it, and now that I don’t live here anymore, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to come back and support some local artists and my favorite places.”
Plushie Patch & Adoption Booth allowed community members to bring their gently loved stuffed animals, such as Jellycats, to sell or give away.
“It’s been such an amazing community we’ve cultivated,” Bach said. “It’s just been turned into something so much more beautiful than I would have ever known.”
Charm Bar & Trinket Bag Station provided people an opportunity to create their own keychain, necklace or trinket bag. Additionally, a free craft station provided materials for DIY magic for all ages. Throughout the event, DJ Daderall, owner of White Tiger Athens, performed live music for the community on the stage in front of TREEHOUSE’s colorful mural.
“People are coming here for joy,” Bach said. “This is beautiful. What can I do to engage the community in the act of finding joy and seeking joy and celebrating it? Just because it’s really easy to get weighed down by the world.”
