AKRON, Ohio — Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens will open its doors this week for the annual Ohio Mart artisan craft fair.
With 55 years as an Akron tradition, Ohio Mart will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 8, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 9.
New this year, all tickets include entrance to the show and a self-guided tour of the Manor House, which previously required a separate fee.
With more than 120 exhibitors, Ohio Mart features food, shopping and entertainment. Artists showcase their work in photography, ceramics, jewelry, textiles and garden art. Download this year’s Ohio Mart event guide.
Two favorites with locals — the Ex Libris Book tent and the Vintage Finds and Curious Goods shop — will be on site again, as well as the Craft Shop, which features handmade goods. Stan Hywet’s Garden Committee will offer dried flower arrangements created with blooms from the estate’s Great Garden.
The Textile Arts & Artisan Show in the Manor House Reception Hall will feature artists skilled in weaving, spinning, quilting and other crafts. The show includes the Stitchers' Fair, offering gently used crafting supplies. A needlework project for kids is set for Saturday and Sunday by the Needlework Guild.
The Food Court will offer an array of food, from pierogies and BBQ to new offerings that include grilled cheese and Greek cuisine. The Tudor Rose Pub will offer adult beverages, including craft beer and wine.
Attendees looking for sweets can visit the Gingerbread Tent, a much-anticipated Ohio Mart tradition, where volunteers will be baking Stan Hywet’s hot gingerbread cookies. The Bakery Tent will be stocked with goods from a variety of local bakeries. Artisanal ice cream will be available, as well as handmade chocolate treats.
Each year, depending on weather, Ohio Mart averages 3,000 to 5,000 visitors each day, event organizers said. In 2021, the four-day artisan fair drew 16,000 attendees.
All tickets are pre-sale only and can be purchased online or by calling 330-315-3287. Stan Hywet is located at 714. N. Portage Path in Akron.
Free offsite parking with a shuttle is available Saturday at World Harvest Church, 989 N. Portage Path. Free parking with a shuttle is offered Saturday and Sunday at Todaro’s Party Center, 820 Akron Peninsula Road. Parking on the Great Meadow is $5, cash only.
Stan Hywet was built between 1912 and 1915 by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. co-founder F. A. Seiberling and his wife, Gertrude Seiberling.
The estate includes a 65-room Tudor Revival manor house, a Gothic Revival Conservatory, the gate lodge, which is the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous, and about 70 acres of landscaped grounds and formal gardens. The Seiberling family lived on the property for 40 years.
The estate became a museum in 1957, two years after F. A. Seiberling’s death. In 1964, the Women’s Auxiliary Board, now the Auxiliary Board, was organized as a volunteer corps. The group launched Ohio Mart in 1966 to raise the funds needed for estate restoration and repair, and for operating funds.
Since then, the Auxiliary Board of Stan Hywet has hosted Ohio Mart each year, with all proceeds still earmarked to support the ongoing restoration of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
