At the heart of their Irish community, The Tinker's Cart is holding two live shopping events this December to prepare all your Christmas shoppers for the holiday season.
The Tinker’s Cart Irish & Celtic Gifts, located in Worcester Public Market, Massachusetts, is holding two live shopping events online, via Facebook, next Wednesday and the Monday of Christmas week, to showcase their wonderful holiday gift ideas.
You can shop, stress-free and comfortable right from your armchair, with The Tinker’s Cart, Wed Dec 16, and Mon Dec 21 at 7 pm EST live!
The Irish store held its first live shopping event on Wednesday, Dec 9, allowing customers to shop at their leisure for one hour and 20 minutes.
The Tinker’s Cart owners and staff are going to make it easy peasy to find the perfect Irish or Celtic gift for everyone on your list. Shoppers will find sales and specials only offered to their live viewers. They also offer delivery, so local customers will be sure to receive your order before Christmas. Shipping is available too.
Find your local Irish stores in the United States here on IrishCentral's NACTA store finder
The Tinker’s Cart, founded in 1997
The Tinker’s Cart started when John Hughes began importing goods from Ireland in the early 1980s. What began as vending at a vast array of Irish festivals throughout the United States led to pop up shops and seasonal locations in New England malls.
This resulted in John and his daughter, Cheryl, opening their first year-round location in Clinton, MA, in 1997.
Just this past February Cheryl made the move to the Worcester Public Market, in nearby Worcester. Situated right beside the brand new Polar Park. Polar Park is the home for the Worcester Red Sox, a triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
The Worcester Public Market is a multi-vendor, food-oriented marketplace in the European tradition, featuring the foodie-heaven Market Pantry, and a vibrant food court with a seamless connection to the social and gustatory pleasures of the Wachusett Brew Yard.
Cheryl Hughes at The Tinker's Cart.
Cheryl Hughes told IrishCentral "Our family hails from Roscommon and Mayo. Right at the point, where the three counties of Roscommon, Mayo, and Galway meet. We have strong ties to Ireland and have family, we visit often."
Speaking about the founding of The Tinker's Cart as part of local Irish communities, Hughes said "The town of Clinton where we first opened our store has a large Irish population. Many came over to build the Wachusett Dam. It is still considered the largest hand-dug dam in the world today. Many more worked in the factories. Most all of the Irish immigrants are from one particular area of Ireland - Louisburgh, and Westport, in County Mayo.
"We now reside in Worcester, MA, home the Worcester St. Patrick’s Day parade and a large population of Irish Americans."
Irish connection
Proud of her Irish connection and link to the community in Massachusetts, both Irish loving, Irish and international. Hughes said "I travel to Ireland as often as I can. Once a year and sometimes twice. I like to attend Showcase Ireland, in January, and if I’m lucky I fit in another trip to visit with family and friends.
"My customers are Irish Americans who take pride in their heritage. Also, people of all nationalities, who love the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Irish products possess. The marketplace we reside in has a very international feel. We have American, Italian, Mexican, African, Venezuelan, Mediterranean, Japanese, and Jamaican restaurants.
"One of my greatest surprises with the move is the appeal of Irish goods to people of all ethnicities. I love talking about Ireland and it’s people to a new customer base."
The beautiful products at The Tinker's Cart.
Tinker's Cart popular produce ranges
The Tinker's Cart's most popular ranges are jewelry, knitwear, caps, and candy. Hughes admits that "everyone loves the candy and we have a hard time keeping it in stock!
"We couldn’t do without the above-mentioned products as well as giftware, cards, barware, and wall art.
"I love discovering new products at trade shows, networking with other NACTA members, and online searches."
Hughes says the busiest time of year for the Tinker's Cart store is Christmas, followed by Saint Patrick's Day and their customer's interests include heritage, festivals, music, and sport.
Dealing with COVID
"COVID has made us tighten up and improve our website and social media presence," explains Hughes. "It has us thinking out of the box with Facebook Live selling events, as well as shipping and delivering to our customer's homes.
"We have launched an Irish subscription box service. We have three subscriptions to choose from. The Snack & Craic Box is a monthly box containing snacks and special treats from Ireland. Our second offering is the Bit’s & Bob’s Box containing a variety of Irish or Irish themed products."
She added "It’s a great way to support small business bother here and in Ireland. Subscribers are supporting Irish businesses and craftsmen as well as those here in the states. We have arranged with craftspeople and small American businesses to create Irish themed wares.
"The last subscription is our very popular Eire Wear T-shirt Club. We offer a high quality soft and cozy tee shirt for himself or herself delivered to our customers once a month. Most are unique to The Tinker’s Cart as we feature our own designs and artwork."
The Tinker's Cart Team
Huges added "Here at the Tinker’s Cart we are delighted to have Jennifer Lane Courville as part of our team. Jen’s family owns the Erin Knitwear family of Cork and Erin’s Hampers. Erin Knitwear specializes in hand-knitting and was set up in 1965 by Jen’s parents, Tom and Sally Lane.
"Erin Hampers is Cork's premier online hamper store offering a wide range of luxury food and gift hampers, delivering to Cork and throughout Ireland."
She continued "We are so lucky to have Jen and her gorgeous quality products as part of the Tinker’s Cart in Worcester. She has a great eye, can spin a fabulous story, and brings you gems from Ireland you won’t find anywhere else.
"We work closely together to bring our customers the finest the Emerald Isle has to offer. Jen carries an extensive line of Erin Knitwear products as well as gorgeous capes, vests, slippers, and more. With Jen’s keen eye and Cheryl’s years of experience, the Tinker’s Cart continues to evolve and grow even during these trying times."
Get in touch with The Tinker's Cart
Visit www.tinkerscart.com, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest. You can email Tinker's Cart via [email protected] or via Facebook messenger.
Tinker's Cart, Worcester Public Market,152 Green St, Worcester, MA 01606. Tel: +1 978-618-0004.
