An Austin tradition is back for the holidays. On Wednesday, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar returned to the Palmer Center. The 10-day event is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Christmas Eve.
The annual bazaar started in 1976, and today there are 161 artists. Many can recall the first pieces they sold.
For photographer Jamie Rood, it was a picture taken three years ago during an ice storm. It depicts a frozen ice bubble surrounding a tree pod.
“People loved it,” Rood said. “And it just started selling and every day I would start selling a couple of them.”
For painter Collin Welsch, it was a colorful tree that helped launch her career. She sold it in 2006 during an art fair on 6th Street. Welsch had left her job as a litigation attorney to pursue art. Today, her story and her paintings are an inspiration.
"It just takes enthusiasm, a little bit of talent, and kind of knowing how to market it,” Welsch said, “and putting yourself out there to make it work.”
The bazaar is expected to attract as many as 40,000 shoppers.
