Millions of Americans run boutique businesses on websites and social media, making the gift-giving choices almost endless this season.
Take David Hoobler, for instance. The East Bay artist sells everything from his whimsical children’s books and prints to T-shirts and even e-books on his website, davidhoobler.com. Hoobler was one of more than a dozen artisans at a recent pop-up holiday marketplace in the Oakland hills’ Montclair district.
Standing alongside his signature “Zonk the Dreaming Tortoise” book and matching watercolor paintings, he chatted with long-time fans whose children grew up with his books about a desert tortoise that liked water so much that he longed to be a sea turtle. Some 25 years later, Hoobler is still feeding his fertile imagination with new books, watercolor paintings and even Zonk holiday cards.
His dream turns out to be the dream of many. At the same pop-up marketplace, Kathryn “Kat” So had a table of handmade kitty-themed earrings, ornaments and crocheted bags. Her business was born from her passion for making gifts for family and friends, and she advertises on Instagram under the name Katsoup (instagram.com/katsoup_).
Anne Kanogon Ampai was selling home-made Thai food, including coconut cake and orange cake desserts with the business name Sweet Angel. Anne ran a bakery in Thailand before coming to the Bay Area. Her creations are featured on Instagram under the handle “angel.7824.”
Mike Walker and his son, Lucas, had a table displaying their hand-crafted gifts made with crystals and other precious metals — many of them spiritual and symbolic. They can be found on the Facebook page “Ophanim Energy” (facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078021650857).
And then there was lip-gloss, sold by three high-school students who can often be seen at the Montclair Farmers Market. Friends who decided to become business partners, Harper Ahern goes to Concord’s Carondelet High School while in Oakland Vera Warner attends Head Royce High and Justine Rohlfes is at Bishop O’Dowd High.
They say they chose to make their own lip gloss because they wanted to make a clean, nontoxic brand that looked good. Besides, what young woman doesn’t like lip gloss? The products are made with ingredients like coconut oil, jojoba oil, grape-seed oil and Vitamin E oil that won’t irritate the skin.
“Our balms will hydrate your lips and leave then looking gorgeous, so get ready to reel in the compliments,” says their social media description.
All three of these entrepreneurs would like to study business in college, and their colorful products can be found online at instagram.com/glossip_lip.
Oakland has always been known for the number of artisans who make this town home. The examples I mentioned barely scratch the surface of what you can find for one-of-a-kind gifts. The aforementioned Hoobler, one of the lucky ones who’s been able to make a living with his art, says it’s hard but rewarding work.
“It’s 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration,” he says, quoting Thomas Edison, and adding “it’s quite an accomplishment.”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone reading this!
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.