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NYC Holiday Markets: Exploring The Original Shoppers' Fair In Union Square

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - If you haven't finished your holiday shopping, there's one more pop-up market, an original designed by New Yorkers with New Yorkers in mind.

The Union Square Holiday Market, the oldest of its kind in the city, is a one-stop-shop for locals looking to get unique gifts for anyone on their shopping list, reports CBSN New York's John Dias.

"It's quick, everything is in one place, you can get all of your presents here," said Stacy Kim of the Upper East Side.

"I love this market, it's bringing local communities together," said Grayson Kramer of the Lower East Side. "It's really cool."

The internationally-renowned market, put on by Urban Space, is located in the heart of the city just north of 14th Street.

When walking the winding aisles, it may not appear as if you're in New York.

MORE: NYC Holiday Markets: Shop, Skate And Sip At Bryant Park's Winter Village

When you stop and talk to certain vendors, you feel the New York pride.

"Almost all of the New Yorkers I know think of this as the locals' holiday market, especially downtown," said Carina Koeppicus, director of communications for Urban Space.

Now in its 26th season and featuring more than 150 booths, it is hailed as a must-visit destination for unique gifts created by local craftsman and artists.

"When you go to an urban space market, you're not going to get a ton of mass-produced stuff that you can find at any other store," said Koeppicus. "You're getting locally made, hand-crafted artisan items."

Eleyna Fugman, a sales manager at Chopstick Art, knows all about that as she showed off her wares to a customer: "This is made out of 100% recycled bamboo chopsticks, folds up and down."

Her team only sells their items at this market, but the chopsticks they make them out of come from all over.

"We collect the chopsticks from restaurants, we sanitize them, we dye them in black tea, nautal food dyes," she said.

MORE: NYC Holiday Markets: Grand Central Holiday Fair

Another artist mostly makes his art out of his car in Brooklyn or as he travels, taking pictures along his journey and printing them on top of recycled vinyl records.

"I have a little Toyota RV and I cruise around the country in that, turn it into a dark room, a little workshop," said Able Thought Artist of Lost Life on Wax.

As for the food, in a harsh winter, there is plenty of chefs are warming up New Yorkers.

The owner of Taste of Persia NYC is doing that with his soup, and even he calls himself an artist.

"I was a graphic designer and a few years ago I decided to change professions from art of graphic to art of cooking," said Saeed Pourkay.

The market is opening weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with extended hours on the weekend. It will be gone in a New York minute on Christmas Eve.

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