Category Archive Vendors

We enjoy bringing European culture to Christkindlmarket Des Moines! New this year, we’re featuring a Feuerzangenbowle mug in An der Weihnachtsecke (Christkindlmarket Des Moines store) in the CDM Curbside online marketplace. The rum-soaked sugar cube sits over the handle. Once lit, the caramelized sugar flows straight into your Glühwein!

Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink in which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine. It is often part of a Christmas or New Year’s Eve tradition. The name translates literally as fire-tongs punch. Our Feuerzangenbowle mug allows for a single serving of this holiday tradition!

Feuerzangenbowle (click here for a recipe) is prepared in a bowl, similar to a fondue set, which usually is suspended over a small burner (rechaud). The bowl is filled with heated dry red wine spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and orange peel, similar to mulled wine. The Feuerzange was originally a pair of tongs, but nowadays it is common for a purpose-designed metal grate mounted on top of the bowl to hold the Zuckerhut (sugarloaf), a 250-gram (9 oz) lump of sugar. The sugar is soaked with rum and set alight, melting and caramelizing. More rum is poured with a ladle until all the sugar has melted and mixed with the wine. For some the ceremony is more important than the drink itself, celebrating the gathering of friends and conveying a notion of Gemütlichkeit.

We’re pleased to announce the vendors participating in CDM Curbside presented by Christkindlmarket Des Moines. Click through to learn more about their businesses and what they will be selling in the online marketplace.

Food & Beverage Vendors

Gift & Specialty Items

The CDM Curbside online marketplace will be open November 9 at 12:01am – November 22 at 11:59pm. You must schedule curbside pickup at Principal Park December 3 – 6. Vendors will not be on site during curbside pickup.

For 2020, the Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA) has announced that it will change its annual in-person holiday experience to “CDM Curbside,” presented by Christkindlmarket Des Moines.

CDM Curbside customers can pre-order all of their favorite items traditionally found at Christkindlmarkets from the vendors they’ve come to know and love AND a few new faces. Customers can peruse traditional food and hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind gifts in advance and pick up their purchases at Principal Park during the Curbside Pickup.

No need to leave your vehicle
No need to schedule multiple pickups from multiple vendors

Shop the online marketplace virtually from the comfort and warmth of your own home November 9 at 12:01am – November 22 at 11:59pm. At checkout, schedule your curbside pickup at Principal Park on one of the following days:

Thursday, December 3: 5pm – 8pm
Friday, December 4: 11am – 8pm
Saturday, December 5: 9am – 6pm
Sunday, December 6: 12pm – 5pm

1.    Tell us about your business
I create wearable art that brings out your own beauty and helps you meet the day with confidence! Finding jewelry that really speaks to you can help you show off your true self and feel fantastic doing it! All of my work is entirely made by me from fused glass and wire wrapping.

2.    What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at CDM Curbside?
I loved participating in Christkindlmarket Des Moines last year and am so excited to get to participate in this different form this year! The enthusiasm and support of all the people involved is wonderful to experience, whether volunteers, staff, vendors, or customers!

3. What products will you be selling at CDM Curbside and why did you choose them?
I will have all sorts of jewelry available and ready to give as gifts! Necklaces, rings, earrings and more!

4.    Anything else you’d like to share?
This will be my first virtual show and I’m thrilled that I get to try it out with CDM Curbside!

1. Tell us about your business.

We love glass here at Indianola Glass Creations. We make stained & fused glass items. We carry home decor, jewelry, knick – knacks and so much more. We strive to create one of a kind items, anything from everyday items to larger art pieces. We also sell stained and fused glass supplies so you can make your own projects. And if you don’t know how to work with glass we also teach glass classes.

2. What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at CDM Curbside?

We just loved the idea of a Winter market. Glass has always been a part of German culture and we thought our one of a kind glass pieces would be a good fit for CDM Curbside.

3. What products will you be selling at CDM Curbside and why did you choose them?

We will sell a variety of Christmas stained and fused glass ornaments as well as glass jewelry & home decor pieces. We chose these items to give the customer a variety to choose from for gift giving. It is a small sampling of the many items in our store.

1. Tell us about your business.

I started beekeeping in 2001 after my son purchased three hives from a co-worker who was moving out of state. At the time, he knew nothing about bees but had an interest in them. He brought the hives home to our acreage and set them in the field. Unfortunately, those three hives did not make it through the winter. In the spring of 2001, I heard about a beekeeping class, enrolled and purchased three nucs of bees and was on my way to becoming a beekeeper. I took my excess honey that year to the local farmers market and sold what I had. The following year I ordered ten more nucs. Each year I have tried to expand my products. From our honey and beeswax we now have many products from raw liquid honey, to flavored honey and creamed honey. I use the wax in lip balms, beeswax lotion bars, foot bars and include it in the goat milk and honey soaps and other bath and body products you can find on our website.

2. What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at CDM Curbside?

I had been interested in attending the downtown market for several years, but the weather had always concerned me. With the CDM Curbside I decided to try and see where it would go.

3. What products will you be selling at CDM Curbside and why did you choose them?

I will be offering our raw liquid honey, flavored bears, creamed honey, honey sticks, bee pollen, lip balms, beeswax lotion bars, foot bars and our goat milk and honey soaps

Tell us about your business

At DamonLayne Woodworking, we believe that your home should reflect your own personal style. Each corner of your life should be eye-catching and unique, just like you. DamonLayne Woodworking provides kitchen and home decor, dedicated to helping our customers discover their own design personality.

What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at CDM Curbside?

We have been involved with Christkindlmarket Des Moines for the past few years. This is an amazing holiday event that showcases the European culture. This year’s online event allows customers to shop from home and pick up all their packages from one location.

What products will you be selling at CDM Curbside and why did you choose them?

Cutting board, Charcuterie boards, Cheese slicer, Cribbage boards, Springerle cookie molds.

Anything else you’d like to share?

DamonLayne Woodworking designs unique products that are fun and functional and will make a great gift for the holiday season, a wedding, or a house warming gift.

1. Tell us about your business

Dakota Tinworks is a family-run business, specializing in handmade reproduction tinware items as well as original designs focusing on Christmas tree decorations, including a wide variety of tin ornaments and tree tinsel/icicles. All of our items are made personally by Karl Schmidt, the owner of Dakota Tinworks.

2. What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at CDM Curbside?

We’ve been vendors at Christkindlmarket Des Moines since 2017, the second year of the market. It’s always been a fabulous experience for us. This year, with concerns over COVID-19, the market cannot take place as it normally would, but we are excited for the opportunity to participate in CDM Curbside.

3. What products will you be selling at CDM Curbside and why did you choose them?

We’ll be offering most of our tin products this year, including all of the ornaments and tinsel, cups, candle holders, pierced candle shades, biscuit and cookie cutters, and more.

4. Anything else you’d like to share?

As with any new venture, CDM Curbside will be an experiment, but we are ready to provide the same great products our loyal customers have always expected from us!

Des Moines European Heritage Association invites you to become a vendor at the 5th Annual Christkindlmarket Des Moines taking place December 3 – 6, 2020 at Principal Park.

In the past four years, this cultural experience has attracted over 145,000 visitors. (50,000 in 2019!)

The quality of a traditional Christmas market depends on maintaining a high standard of the vendor products it offers. Christkindlmarket Des Moines is dedicated to immersing visitors in a world of folklore and craftsmanship as well as enticing them with traditional, seasonal gastronomic specialties to provide an experience filled with European elegance and charm. See Google Images of Christmas markets around the world.

Our vendor guide will give you an overview of the application process and requirements. As soon as you fill out the application, it will be reviewed internally. You will receive feedback by April 1, 2020 at the latest.

If you have applied in the past, but were not accepted, we encourage you to complete an application each year. The vendor committee takes several factors into consideration when choosing the slate of vendors each year. We will continue to add wooden vendor stalls and not all vendors that participated in the past are asked to return which results in openings.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2020 Vendor Information Guide

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2020 Vendor Application

Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2020 Electricity Request Form

City of Des Moines Outdoor Events Requirements (Food vendors please read)

Products typically found at Christkindlmarkets throughout the world, which include (but are not limited to): decorative fresh wreaths and centerpieces; one-of-a-kind handmade items that can be made and demonstrated on site; holiday ornaments of all colors, materials and sizes; nutcrackers; cuckoo clocks; beer steins; wooden toys; jewelry; wood carvings; European sweets and treats; sausages; sauerkraut; potato pancakes; waffles; crepes; stollen; gingerbread; roasted nuts; cakes and pastries; German smokers; candles; wooden nativity scenes; items made from hand-blown glass; clay and ceramic pottery items; tea light holders; Eastern Slavic handcrafted gifts, such as nesting dolls and papier-mâché lacquer boxes; lace; leather products; beer and wine glasses; wooden toys; handwoven garments and more.

Vendor Testimonials

Wild Cherry Spoon Co has vended across the Midwest. From popular indie craft markets in Chicago to small first time shows. Christkindl Market Des Moines blew them all away in terms of revenue, participation, crowd size, after show sales, interesting things to see and do at the market, and volunteer support. We would love to be able to attend every subsequent market and word of advice to vendors; plan for your wildest sales expectations and then bring 4x the inventory…it sells out fast!

Tim McGuire, Wild Cherry Spoon

This show for three years has exceeded expectations! A very festive atmosphere, the volunteers were exceptional, and our needs were met by the organizers. Sales were excellent. We have been selling roasted nuts for 16 years and this is our best show. Looking forward to next year. Thanks to those that attended and to the people that put this together.

Greg Lincoln, Top of the Hill Nuts

I’ve been fortunate to sell at both the inaugural 2016 and the 2017 Christkindlmarkets. As a vendor in the Des Moines area, selling at 45 events in 2017, I can tell you this market simply blows away any other show in terms of revenue and after market sales. The hardworking and dedicated organizers have created a festive, well attended, and well organized three-day community event. Selling at the Christkindlmarket is exceedingly profitable and its just plain fun to be part of the Christmas festivities!

Betty Chamness Trost, Three Smooth Stones

We had a great time & experience this year at The Christkindlmarket. We “Curbin Cuisine” were one of the food vendors & had a busy fun weekend. Sales were good, plenty of Joy & Christmas Spirit all weekend from the market! Looking forward for 2018, had a blast!

Jarrod Fontanini, Curbin Cuisine

I was especially impressed with the advertising for Christkindlmarket Des Moines—I think the organizers did a great job of getting the word out through many different avenues. The parking for unloading was easy to get to and convenient to the booth location. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful. The booths made for a great ambience, and we loved the signs! My one reservation about the event was being outside because I am not at all a fan of cold weather, but the heaters in the booths made it comfortable enough, and the crowds were terrific all weekend.

Pickle Creek Herbs

In 2016 we set up at 125+ events around Iowa, and out of all of those events, Christkindlmarket Des Moines was our #1 event for gross sales. When accounting for the time spent at the event (sales/hour) and the cost of the booth (sales/event cost), it was also among our best events of the year (in the top 5). There were other benefits to this market as well. One is that we got to meet a lot of new customers. We’ve been vending at events in Des Moines for about 8 years, and at Christkindlmarket we sold items to people who had never heard of us before. We also could trace several visitors to our web site who clicked on a link to us from the Christkindlmarket web site. I had high hopes for this event, and in terms of both sales and marketing, this event exceeded all my expectations.

Since this was the first year, I’m excited to see how next year goes. I think it started out really well and can only get better, and I am definitely coming back if they will have me! A big thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!!

Pickle Creek Herbs

The first Christkindlmarket Des Moines was one of the most fun and well organized first-time shows we’ve had the pleasure of participating in. We were provided with ample information before the show, so setup was a breeze, and the how cute were the booths?! 

It’s always tough to predict how many people will come to a new event, but the people of Des Moines turned out in droves – the event was consistently busy all three days of the show.

So many little touches made for a really great show – the live music kept both customers and vendors in good spirits, even through cold and rainy weather. The food and hot beverages were huge draws to bring in more people along with great local products and holiday atmosphere. 

It was a great time to see people just enjoy the start to the holidays, enjoy time with each other and say cheers to just being here in Des Moines. 

Overall it was a great event that we hope to participate in for years to come!

Tammy & Adam, The Red Door Press

We are very pleased with the Christkindlmarket. It was very well organized and everyone one was very helpful.  They contacted us often to see if we had any needs and fill our requests. I was very happy with the attendance and it ws a very positive atmosphere.  Looking forward to next year.

Greg Lincoln, Top of the Hill Nuts

Worldly Goods loved being part of the inaugural Christkindlemarket!  The volunteers were fun and professional to work with and did their best to accommodate all situations that came up this first year.  We look forward to the future; seeing old friends and meeting new ones as the market continues to grow and expand!

Worldly Goods

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the first annual Christkindlmarket in Des Moines. The volunteers and staff did a wonderful job of organizing this Christmas Market, and took great care of the vendors. This was a fun, family-friendly event that had something to offer everyone. We look forward to being a part of this cultural experience next year.

Kathleen Gill, Royal Mile

Tell us about your business

Hello from Pickle Creek! We are a small family farm in Pleasant Plain, Iowa. We grow herbs, fruits, garlic, and peppers that we use to create infused olive oils and vinegars, soaps, salves, and balms. We make everything by hand in small batches using our own original recipes. With Pickle Creek infusions, you can bring all the life, spice, and flavor of the summer garden to your kitchen and home.

What inspired you to get involved as a vendor at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2019

It’s an awesome and unique experience! We first heard about Christkindlmarket from friends, and it jumped out as something special—we hadn’t seen anything quite like it in Iowa. That was back in 2016, and we’ve been participating ever since. The visitors, volunteers, and other vendors are so cheerful, festive, and fun!

What products will you be selling at Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2019 and why did you choose them?

To stay in the spirit of Christkindlmarket, we’ll be selling only our handmade products that we create using our own herbs and recipes. We’ll especially be featuring holiday gift boxes, baskets, and bags in traditional holiday colors.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Christkindlmarket is not just shopping and eating—it’s an experience unlike anything else in Iowa. It’s especially charming when the lights start to shine, a cup of Glühwein warms the fingers, and the cheer in the air evokes the Christmas magic you loved as a child. It will definitely put you in the holiday spirit!