Another wonderful Wellesley Marketplace is in the books, and its safe to say that the 200 vendors, 2,000+ shoppers, and 99 Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club members ended the day exhausted but happy. From setting up Wellesley High School the day before last month’s event, to seven hours of intense buying and selling, to the final 9pm wrap-up, the 47th Marketplace was a wild 36-hour ride.
Best support staff as cited by the Chairs in a social media post—hands down “Wellesley High School and their truly wonderful custodians! Couldn’t do it without their support. It takes a village!”
Best comment overheard by a vendor—”I meet more customers face-to-face on this one day than I do all year. It’s awesome.”
The yearly fundraiser draws so many vendors and loyal shoppers two ways. First, the Marketplace committee is discerning. The juried show draws a hand-picked cohort of creative artisans, boutique owners, and craftspeople from across New England. Second, the Juniors are a collective organizing powerhouse of epic proportions. If they ever want to add another major event to their roster, a “How to Harness your Inner (but latent) Executive Functioning Skills” seminar would draw a solid crowd.
Or they might just stick with Marketplace, the Kitchen and Home Tour (May 2, 2026), and the Wonder Run 5k & Kids Fun Run (May 17, 2026).
Fun facts about Juniors
- The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club is an 81-year old organization.
- Number of active members: 99
- What they do: donate their time to help those in need via scholarships, grants to organizations, and direct-service volunteer efforts.
- During their 2025 giving cycle, 34 organizations received a total $114,000 to support food pantries, shelters for women and children, special needs, and support for senior citizens, Wellesley schools and recreation, and more.
- In 2025, the Club awarded $114,000 in scholarship awards to 28 Wellesley students.
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