Winter Market Sneak Peak

Aadya Sharma & Ava Park

December is coming up, and that means every OCSA student’s favorite holiday event is back—Winter Market! New this year, however, are the scholarships for especially talented vendors. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from Farmers & Merchants Bank, four vendors—one returning and three new—were each gifted $500 scholarships. These winners were determined through a rigorous application process by a representative from F&M Bank and revealed earlier this month. Let’s take a sneak peek at their businesses and plans for Winter Market and beyond:

The first scholarship winner is Art in Hearts, a returning vendor. Emily Yi (VA ‘26), Hyunyi Kim (VA ‘26) and Jennifer Choi (VA ‘26) explained that the mission of Art in Hearts is “to create an environment where art-loving students come together to share their ideas and utilize their talents to make a positive impact in our community.” Last year their club used profits from the Winter Market to provide luncheons for Irvine Firefighters, and hosted a toy drive for their children just in time for the holiday season. Their remarkable success is also recognized by many, as they sold out all of their products on the first day of Winter Market last year, so their newfound funding is helping them create more products to meet the demand of customers. According to a representative from F&M Bank, they were chosen due to their experience as a group and their flowchart, products and logo. We can anticipate their return to Winter Market next year, as they hope to continue their legacy even after graduation.

Another group selected for the scholarship was Amelia Kim (FTV ‘27) and Erica Park (FTV ‘27) for Berries & Bliss. Their inspiration for starting their business comes from their love for creating art. They explained that the ability to personalize belongings and accessorize creates a sense of individuality and fun. At this booth you can expect to see a variety of phone charms, keychains and bracelets. They plan to use their money to purchase supplies and enhance their booth setup. This money will potentially also support them when they participate in Winter Market next year. They are thinking of expanding their booth into a small business outside of school to reach a greater customer demographic. The representative from F&M bank explained that they were selected due to their holistic approach, concept, logo and admirable presentation. 

The next winner of the scholarship was Evelyn Nguyen (DM ‘27) for her business Pigeon Parlore, which is all about “sharing [her] creations and supporting pigeons.” She finds it sad that pigeons are mistreated around the world, so her goal is to donate her profits to the Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue in Chicago. She plans to use the scholarship money to purchase materials and booth decorations. According to the representative from F&M Bank, Nguyen was chosen for the scholarship due to her impressive presentation, attention to detail and analysis of profit and cost. Nguyen’s future plans for Pigeon Parlore include opening an Etsy shop to sell more elevated versions of her products and doing Winter Market each year she is at OCSA.

The final winner of the new vendor scholarships was the business Fishy, run by Anna Stehberger (PD ‘25), Zoe Stehberger (VA ‘27) and Lyla Soumbasakis (ACT ‘25). Their shop is centered around the theme of protecting marine wildlife. Fishy’s products include crocheted items, such as amigurumi (crocheted stuffed animals) and tops, and pottery with a “blue wave vibe” according to Stehberger. They were chosen for the scholarship due to taking an extra step to draw a diagram of their display table, and they will use the scholarship money to buy yarn and pay for their pottery studio. Their future plans for Fishy are to open an Etsy shop, run booths in local farmers markets and expand their clothing options.

Come to Winter Market on December 6th and 7th to check out these four and many other talented vendors!