One of the most popular aspects of last year’s Holiday Stroll was the Raffle. We’ll be continuing that tradition this year. Your favorite East End Shops are offering some amazing raffle prizes totalling more than $2000 in value:

Angela Adams- Canvas Mailbag ($85)
The Body Architect- One Month Membership ($165)
Carlson Turner Books- $30 gift certificate
Coffee By Design- CBD Gift Basket ($75)
Dean’s Sweets- 16-piece “Maine” mix box of truffles ($27.50)
Duckfat- T-shirt, Mug and $25 Gift Certificate
Earth & Soul Pottery- South African Banana Print
Eli Phant- Bobbin Bag ($90 value)
Ember Grove- Handmade Paper Table Lamp ($68 value)
emilie inc- Free Child’s Portrait Session ($350 value)
Ferdinand- selection of greeting cards ($30 value)
Ferricchia- $100 Service-Only Gift Certificate
Field- Porcelain Snowball
Fraser Art Studio (at the SEA Sale)- 5×5 Daily Painting of your choice
Arthur Fink- “Dance” Photobook ($24) & 3 Dance Posters ($45)
Katie Made- $50 Gift Certificate
Knitwit- “Socks from the Toe Up” book, skein of String Theory yarn and Double-Sided Needles.
Solstice Designs (at Running with Scissors)- Sterling Silver Beach Stone Bracelet ($125)
North Star Café- $25 Gift Certificate
Old Port Specialty Tile- 20″ Snowflake Mosaic Mural
Pepperclub / The Good Egg Cafe- 2 Winners! $50 Gift Certificate
Portland Fiber Gallery- $50 Gift Certificate
Rabelais- “Stir, Mixing it up in the Italian tradition” by Barbara Lynch (signed)
Residence Inn by Marriott- 2 night stay ($538)
Silly’s- Four Winners! $5 Gift Certificate and Silly’s Mug
St. Lawrence Arts Center- Year Passes for Two to The Saturday Show and Secret Lives of Comedians
Two Fat Cats- $25 Gift Certificate
Z Fabrics- $20 Gift Certificate
Zero Station- “life size” mounted image of a Fender Stratocaster guitar

To enter the raffle, all you need to do is pick up a raffle card and visit 5 shops during the Holiday Stroll on Saturday. At each shop you’ll need to have a staffperson mark that you’ve been there. Once you have 5 marks on your raffle card, you can drop it off at the business of your choice to enter thier raffle. Each business will be raffling off their own prize, and each person can enter only one business’s raffle- so choose wisely!

This will be a great way to get some of your Christmas Shopping done, or get a special treat for yourself– with none of the guilt!

*Please note that raffle prizes may change without notice, and that each shop is responsible for the handling of its own raffle.

This First Friday, you’ll be able to hop on a trolley downtown to visit the East End! So no excuses. The trolleys ill run from 4:30 until 8:30 during the next First Friday Art Walk, October 2.

The trolley will run, free of charge, making stops along the following route: Longfellow Square, Congress Square, Monument Square, Washington Avenue & Congress Street, India Street & Middle Street, Exchange Street & Middle Street.

See you Friday! The following locations will be having openings this week:

49. COFFEE BY DESIGN | 67 India St
Donald Peterson: Natural States… figure, rock, water & sky, painting
www.coffeebydesign.com | 207 780 6767

50. ARTHUR FINK PHOTOGRAPHY | 145 Newbury St
Arthur Fink: Dance Photography Salon, photo
www.arthurfinkphoto.com | 207 615 5722

51. ELI PHANT | 253 Congress St
Kris Johnsen: Landed, silkscreen, drawings & mixed media
www.eli-phant.com | 207 253 8000

52. EMBER GROVE | 247 Congress St
12 Local Artisans: Maine Made American Craft, multimedia
www.embergrove.com | 207 761 0408

53. NORTH STAR MUSIC CAFé | 225 Congress St
Lauren Ostis: Soul Celebrations, mixed fiber
www.northstarmusiccafe.com | 207 699 2994

54. HOMEGROWN HERB & TEA | 195 Congress Street
Holly Dickinson Amidon: Elements, mixed medium
207 774 3484

55. HILLTOP COFFEE SHOP | 90 Congress St
Sue Kirchner: Journeys in Prints & Transfers, mixed media
207 780 0025

56. FRASER ART STUDIO | 81 Congress St
Elizabeth Fraser: Daily Oil Paintings and Pet Portraits, oils
www.paintsquared.com | 207 650 3437

57. CRUCIBLE GALLERY @ PGS | 24 Romasco Lane
Society for East End Arts Painter’s Salon Show, painting
www.portlandglassblowing.com | 207 409 4527

Ember Grove is celebrating 5 years
as a Local Business!

Kicking off the Sale this Friday & Saturday, August 7th & 8th, with an Exclusive Showcase of Heather Perry Fine Jewelry, Morgan McGeehan Jewelry Designs, and Colleen Foley Printed Apparel.  5% of proceeds will go to
The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in memory of Orion.

All items in the store will be 10-30% off thru September 5th.

Three East End shops, Ember Grove, Portland Fiber Gallery and Weaving Studio, and KnitWit Yarn Shop, will be open for the Maine Fiberarts Tour next weekend.

The event is held the first full weekend in August every year, and is a great opportunity to meet with artists, visit with farmers, and participate in fiber-related demonstrations and activities all around Maine.

You can view the full listing of all 117 sites that are part of the Maine Fiberarts Tour, many of which will have special demonstrations and activities next weekend.

This Sunday is the 5th Annual Artists’ Studio Tour organized by the Society for East End Artists (SEA). On Sunday June 28th, artists around the neighborhood will open their studios to visitors. Many will have art for sale as well as demonstrations of their craft. You can download a map of the open studios as well as your “SEA Passport” at seaportland.org. If you get your passport stamped at 15 locations, you are entered into a raffle for many great prizes from local businesses including Rosemont Market, North Star Cafe, Coffee By Design and others.

While you are in the neighborhood, be sure to stop in some of the great shops nearby. Rabelais Books will be having a Sidewalk Sale on Sunday, and several other businesses will be open and have specials for the event.