From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, Saints Rest hosted the “Sweet Tooth Art Fair,” featuring specialty drinks, music, art stalls set up by Grinnell students and locals, and a tooth gem artist.

The event was first conceptualized by Lizzy Fraser `24.5 along with two other members of the community, including Ren Fisher, Saints Rest employee, while discussing “spaces for artists to be able to sell more of their work locally, spaces for Grinnell students to connect with community, and spaces for community members to connect with local art,” said Fraser.

As well as organizing the event, Fraser also sold artwork, including stickers, candles and matchboxes, which Fraser described as “odds and ends.”

“It’s been a fun experience in getting to sell some of our smaller and odder artwork,” said Fraser. 

Gwyn Redding `25, another artist at the fair, had stickers, shirts, prints and “miscellaneous ceramics” for sale.

Gwyn Redding `25 positioned at her table selling miscellaneous ceramics amongst other items.

“This is the first chance I’ve ever had to sell anything,” said Redding. “It feels cool to have a product put out.” Other items for sale at the various artist stalls included ceramics, prints and jewelry made from keyboard keys.

Saints Rest also offered themed specialty drinks for the occasion, including “The Sweet Tooth,” an ube latte with vanilla cold foam; “Tooth Hurty,” a horchata shaken espresso and “The Toothache,” a blueberry and lemon matcha with white chocolate and matcha cold foam.

Daja Smith, a tooth gem artist, was also present at the fair, decorating clients’ teeth with colorful jewelry. “I learned how to do them out in California,” said Smith. “Any design you want me to do on your teeth with tooth gems, I can do … It’s like a form of expression.”

Originally from Des Moines, this was Smith’s second time in Grinnell. She said that she appreciated the mixture of the town’s diversity and its hometown feeling.

The fair brought many patrons to Saints Rest, interested in the art, the tooth gems and the drinks.

“I absolutely adore the community of Saints Rest,” said Fraser. “I think it’s beautiful how Saints Rest manages to cultivate the space, and so having an art fair within the coffee shop brings that connection and microcosm that makes it feel really worth it.”