The annual shopping opener coincides with the first weekend of deer hunting. Some people choose to hunt deer, while others hunt for bargains.

Several downtown New Ulm shops were open to holiday sales. A to Zinnia Florals & Gift saw large crowds early in the day. Shop worker Lori Ann Huttner said throngs of people were coming in all day for the holiday sales. The LED merchandise was especially popular, but anything holiday-themed was selling well.

Owner Heather Hacker-Hammer estimated it was a little busier this year than last year, but she anticipated more shoppers Saturday. This was a common report throughout the day.

The annual GnomeMade Market also opened Friday. A map of all 18 participating locations is available on the New Ulm Area Chamber webpage. Most of the locations were open Friday and will be open Saturdays, with some remaining open through Sunday.

The National Guard Armory on Broadway hosted several vendors Friday and will be open Saturday and Sunday.

The pop-up craft shops were scattered throughout the community. On South Highland Avenue, the “Sugar Shanty” was doing brisk business. The Sugar Shanty is known for producing maple syrup. At the GnomeMade market they sell canned goods and seasonal crafts.

Lori Zollner of the Sugar Shanty said they had a very good morning in terms of sales with a steady flow of customers afterward. By 2 p.m. they were nearly sold out of baked goods, but they had plenty of syrup still available. The home decor items were also selling well.

Zollner said many shoppers were looking for holiday stocking stuffers.

The basement of Turner Hall was also part of the GnomeMade market with 14 vendors. Many of the vendors were local, but some were from out of town.

Melissa Mord from Spicer, was selling a variety of vinyl crafts. It was her first craft show and sales were going well. Her ornaments and dish towels were the most popular.

MN Eis got into the fun of shopping opener by sprinkling Christmas trees throughout the shop. The ice cream shop also began selling a few holiday themed flavors, including egg nog.

Sue Lomax was doing brisk business were her homemade mittens. The mittens were made from recycled sweaters

The Turner Ladies were also selling food during the craft fair. Jeanne Kretsch said they were nearly out of german potato salad. Around 100 pounds of potato salad was produced for the two day days of sales. The Turner Ladies were confident they would have enough schmear kuchen to last the weekend.

The Lind House had 12 craft vendors, many of them related. Kathy Covington said she had sold her knitting out of the Lind House for nearly four decades. It became a generational tradition with her mother, daughter and cousins helping.

Covington said sales were up this year. One of the factors on whether GnomeMade will be a success is the weather.

“If it’s too nice, they don’t buy the winter knit items,” Covington said.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt From the Heart Creations is one of the longest running craft stops on the GnomeMade Market, featuring numerous holiday themed crafts. From the Heart Creations operator Doris Scheibel said they were selling crafts like crazy, Friday but Saturday would likely be better.

Temperatures hung in the low 60s most of the day, but a sharp wind helped move many mittens and hats.

Doris Scheibel at From the Heart Creations on North Payne said they were selling items like crazy. Scheibel had been selling crafts a long time and said it was a good turnout for a Friday but Saturday would always be busier.

She said Friday, they saw the local shoppers, but on Saturday people from out of town come to shop.

The GnomeMade Market will continue Saturday and Sunday. The big events on Saturday include the Women’s Expo and Craft Fair at Jefferson Elementary.

Sunday, Redeemer Lutheran Church will hold its annual Harvest Fest Turkey Dinner.