Polaris Fashion Place is turning its old Forever 21 storefront into a holiday shopping destination this weekend, as Not Your Mama's Craft Market sets up for a two-day run on November 14 and 15. The market fills the lower level of the vacant space and spills out into an adjoining outdoor corridor, bringing in Midwest makers for a mix of vintage finds, boutique goods, tattoos, and treats.
According to Columbus Underground, the event is billed as a two-day market featuring 90 Midwest makers and artists at 1500 Polaris Parkway. The Polaris Fashion Place listing gives the November 14 event hours as 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Columbus Underground's listing does not state event hours. The market organizer's own website, however, describes a larger lineup, advertising more than 100 of the Midwest's finest makers and artists for the Polaris event, according to notyourmamascraftmarket.com.
Whether the final count lands closer to 90 or tops 100, shoppers can expect a dense lineup of vendors packed into a repurposed retail space. The market transforms the former lower-level Forever 21 space and its outdoor corridor, the organizer's site notes, giving the pop-up both an indoor showroom and an open-air extension for browsing.
What's for Sale, and What It Costs
Columbus Underground's listing describes a vendor mix heavy on vintage and boutique finds, alongside tattoos, treats, coffee, and matcha, suggesting shoppers can grab a drink or a snack while they browse. On admission, the same outlet's facts are not fully consistent: one line describes the market as offering free admission, while another states that a separate five-dollar, date-specific ticket is required for each day. Columbus Underground's own reporting does not reconcile those two statements, so shoppers may want to check directly before planning their visit.
Parking, at least, comes with no asterisks. Polaris Fashion Place offers free mall parking, and the mall's own event listing directs visitors to park near Barnes & Noble and The Cheesecake Factory, noting that the market space sits to the right of The Buckeye Corner, according to polarisfashionplace.com. The market previously held an event inside Polaris Fashion Place.
A Growing Holiday Tradition
Not Your Mama's Craft Market is not new to the Columbus shopping scene. The organizer says that for more than 14 years, many of its shoppers have done all of their gift shopping at its markets, a track record that points to an established following heading into this expanded two-day format. Organizers told Columbus Underground that the market returns with two full days and an expanded holiday plan this time around, building on an earlier visit to Polaris Fashion Place that organizers said drew a record-breaking crowd.
With the former Forever 21 footprint now hosting a rotating cast of Midwest sellers instead of racks of fast fashion, the Polaris market offers a snapshot of how shopping centers are repurposing vacant big-box space for pop-up retail. For Columbus shoppers looking to knock out holiday gifts in one stop, the two-day window on November 14 and 15 gives twice the time to browse the vendor lineup, grab a coffee or matcha, and maybe even walk away with new ink.
