Brookfield Craft Center's holiday shop is open for its 51st season. The craft school on Whisconier Road started its Holiday Shopping Tradition on November 12, and through December its Lynn Tendler Bignell Gallery and Shop is stocked with handmade work in fiber, wood, glass, ceramics, jewelry and metal from more than 150 artists and craftspeople, local and from across the country.

Every purchase benefits the Craft Center and supports the independent artists whose work is on the shelves.

What is on the shelves

The gallery shop carries pottery, fused glass, glass ornaments, turned wood bowls, wood cutting boards, jewelry, metalwork, fiber pieces such as scarves, and paintings and photography. Work by Connecticut artists sits alongside pieces from makers around the country.

For anyone who cannot decide, the center sells gift certificates good in the gallery or for a class. New and renewing members get a one-time 5 percent discount on gallery shop purchases through December 31, 2026, applied when they join or renew.

Three dates to know

  • Shop Local Saturday, November 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the center's day to shop small and support artists in the community and beyond.
  • Holiday Sip and Shop, Thursdays in December, 5 to 7 p.m. Evening hours with a drink, cheese and crackers, aimed at shoppers finishing a gift list after work.
  • Margaret Lent Handwovens Trunk Sale, Saturday, December 12. The weaver brings her chenille pieces to the gallery for one day.

Shopping hours

Through the season the shop is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with Thursdays running late until 7 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Visits by appointment can be arranged by phone.

Small groups can also book a private evening of shopping in the gallery, any evening except Monday or Thursday, by emailing gallery@brookfieldcraft.org. And shoppers who cannot get to Brookfield can send the staff a list by phone or email, and the staff will help them shop by email and text.

Make it yourself instead

The center's main work is teaching, with studios for clay, fiber, forge work, glass, jewelry, woodturning and woodworking, and it has put together a set of holiday workshops this season for people who want to make a gift by hand rather than buy one. The full list, with registration, is on the Holiday Classes page of its website. Youth programs, after-school and homeschool classes and studio apprenticeships run through the year, and scholarships are available for all ages.

Plan a visit

Brookfield Craft Center is at 286 Whisconier Road in Brookfield. Call the gallery at 203-775-4526 or email gallery@brookfieldcraft.org with questions about the shop, a gift certificate or a private shopping night.

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