So Much, So Soon -- Holiday Shopping Time Approaches; Tacoma Dome Gift Festival Lets You Get An Early Handle On It

Charl Zack put two pennies atop the Jacob's Ladder, flipped the top blocks over them, then tapped the stack.

"Blow on it," she commanded a watching child.

"PWHEW!"

"Now open it up."

"The pennies are gone," the child said in amazement. "Can we buy one?"

The age-old flip-flop toy of slim blocks connected by ribbons seems to be a hit at Zack's Gadzack's Wooden Toys, and at several other craft booths this weekend at the Holiday Food & Gift Festival in the Tacoma Dome.

Zack, an accountant-turned-craftsperson who sells at fairs around the country, hopes to peddle "at least 1,000" of the $10 Jacob's Ladders, along with hundreds of her "photo sticks" (tall thin frames cut to hold school photos and measure a growing child), rubber-band guns and all sorts of other wooden toys.

There are 650 booths filled with toys, home accessories, collectibles, fancy and fun clothing, jewelry and cookware, and all sorts of foodstuffs at the festival - all perfect for holiday gifts and entertaining.

Holidays? Already?

Holidays? Oh, yes, it's late October and there are glittery and scary Halloween costumes to buy and candy to share at many booths.

But with a huge Santa Claus at the door and Jingle Bell music wafting through the high dome, there is no question the many vendors, who have paid $675 and up for their booths, are hoping you'll start your Christmas shopping early this year.

"I've got my list, I intend to be done today," said Meredith Weaver of Olympia as she picked a hand-painted silk scarf for her mother, and pondered which combination of spiced-dip mixes ($3 each) might tuck into a set of personalized plastic popcorn bowls ($14) for her sister.

"I haven't found anything for my husband yet," she said, halfway through the huge hall. "I'm thinking of a Mickey Mouse tie hung on one of those nifty oak tie racks . . . and then I'm done."

At a nearby stand, Roy and Sally Gavigan were helping a man select the perfect Mariners dog sweater for Blackie, his poodle. He'd stopped for a miniature figurine, also of a poodle, and was considering a calendar for his wife, with a different-colored poodle for each month.

The Gavigans, a "should-be-retired" Seattle couple, started Pampered Pets after people kept asking Sally to make them little plaid doggie hats, like the ones she sewed for Schultzie , their pet schnauzer.

Puzzles caught on

Mike Talgoy started Wireworks Puzzles in a similar way. He was a scientist when he began devising complex move-the-bead-around or twist-the-loops puzzles to play with on work breaks. His co-workers loved them, and challenged him to come up with more.

Today his Pinetree Puzzle, Trapeze, Brain and Warden's Keys are great sellers at $5 to $15, and he travels the fair circuit with them.

Though many of the vendors this weekend sell items they've made, there also are commercial - or craftily altered factory-made - goods.

Consider the T-shirt and sweatshirt: Many booths offer them with quilted, braided, silk-screened or decorative embellishments, with prices that range from affordable to princely.

One that might bring laughs in many households reads: "Genuine Antique Person: Been There, Done That, Can't Remember."

Marie Darrow of Kent also sells a factory product, but it's one that has caught the eye of many. She offers 20 bins of Loopy Laces, multi-colored shoelaces "you'll never have to tie." The springy elastic coils sell for $3 a pair or four pairs for $10.

"I saw these at a New York gift show," she said. "I bought four pairs that day for tennis shoes and such. I realized everyone would love them, so I bought 9,000 pairs to sell." -----------------------------------------------------------------

IF YOU GO:

Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival, Tacoma Dome, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. Adults, $6.50; seniors and youths 8-14, $5; kids 7 and under free. There are 650 exhibitors and ongoing entertainment.

More gift-buying opportunities:

Country Crafts Home & Gift Show, Vasa Park Resort, 3560 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., Bellevue. Exit 13 off I-90. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today only. (Future shows Nov. 16-18 and Dec. 1, 2). Free admission, 95 local crafters.

Fall Craft & Antique Show, Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, Lynden. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today only. Adults, $3; seniors $2.50, kids 12 and under free. A hundred exhibitors, entertainment, food.

Some upcoming festivals: Holiday Magic, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Nov. 11, 12. Christmas in Seattle Holiday Gift Show, Kingdome, Nov. 17-19. A Victorian Country Christmas, Puyallup Fairgrounds, Nov. 27-Dec. 3. Best of the Northwest, Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, Nov. 24-26.

-- Other bazaars, craft fairs and shows: Each Saturday the Weekend section lists many of these events. If you would like yours listed, submit information at least two weeks in advance to Weekend Calendar, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.