Music and the smell of festival food drifted through the air on Saturday afternoon, while hundreds of vendors filled the streets downtown for the 28th Market Street Festival.
Market Street Coordinator Amber Brislin said there were 225 arts, crafts and food vendors present for this year’s festival, including 50 new vendors and 100 return vendors.
Brislin said the vendors that return each year help to ensure Market Street Festival is one of the “biggest” and “best” events around.
“Many of these vendors have been with us since the very beginning and others for well over 10 years,” Brislin said. “Their eagerness to return speaks volumes, as they are successful each year and always commend our volunteers for our incredibly organized event and helpful and accommodating spirit.”
Jennifer Meredith has been making bows, headbands and other hair accessories for 17 years and coming to the Market Street Festival for 16. She said the festival is one of her favorite shows because of the people.
“I have great customers … that come back every year and buy from me,” Meredith said. “And some of them have outgrown it, but they’ve passed the word along, and I have new ones coming out here because of the old ones.”
Meredith said she is based in Grenada, but she makes the drive every year because she loves the festival.
Paula Fleming said she has been coming to Market Street for years, but she made the switch to coming as a vendor about eight years ago. For her small art business, The Painting Lady, she builds and paints door hangers and accessories, which she was selling at Market Street.
Fleming said she “paints a lot” to prepare for Market Street.
“I actually work full time at First Baptist Church,” Fleming said. “I’ve been there 20 years. This is my stress relief on the weekends and in the evening times. But this week, I took off and really focused on it.”
Fleming said she comes out year after year because the festival allows her to see old friends and members of the community she doesn’t see any other time.
Karl Compton, a potter whose DragonFlight Pottery studio is in Collinsville, said it was his third year at Market Street. He makes functional mugs and bowls, but also “whimsical things,” like whales, pigs, chickens, cats and other animals.
Compton said pottery is his “retirement gig,” though he works about six to seven hours a day seven days a week. Compton attends festivals from West Point down to the coast, but he said he keeps coming back to Market Street because the crowd and sales are both good.
“I love talking to people about pottery, and I have a good time,” Compton said. “… I really enjoy doing shows and I love making pots.”
Brittney Dickerson with The Leather Underground said Saturday was the first time she and her husband Chris came out to Market Street.
While she is based in Huntsville, Alabama, she travels to festivals almost every weekend year-round, selling handmade leather belts, wallets, pacifier straps, hair bows, key chains, gun holsters and more. She said they are “definitely” open to coming back again next year.
“The town is so cute,” she said. “We love the town. It’s awesome.”
Joanna Hrycuna, a Mobile, Alabama-based metal yard art vendor, said she has been coming to the festival for the past 15 years. She tours festivals throughout the southeast, but she comes back to Market Street every year because they always sell well and enjoy the people.
“We enjoy being here,” Hrycuna said. “See you next year.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
