Sunday Artisans Alley Market debuts in Chester

| May 28, 2019 | Comments 0

By Cynthia Prairie
©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

It was a perfect sunny and cool Sunday morning for the inaugural opening of the Artisans Alley Market in Chester, conceived by Sharon Baker of Sharon’s on the Common to highlight local, small creators and bring more people into downtown Chester during the weekends.

Seven vendors, selling everything from handmade cutting boards to handcrafted cloth bowls to microgreens, plied their wares to enthusiastic shoppers from here and away on May 26.

Mark Ouellette of Stone House Kettle Corn Co. said he was happy with the brisk business he was doing, selling more than 70 bags by noon.  Scott Blair of the Southern Pie Cafe said each week he intends to feature a different local producer that he sells through his cafe right around the corner. This past Sunday he featured CBD products, including candies, from Jubilee Farm in Westminster. And Neomi Graziano of Rivetti Studio and Karie Stevens of Hawk’s Mountain were happy to show customers their handmade jewelry

Baker called the first day “overwhelmingly successful,” and is expecting two or three more new vendors next Sunday.

She said she believes the alleyway has enough space to host up to 15 vendors comfortably. If you are interested in vending at the market, you can reach Baker at 802-875-3000.

The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday through Indigenous Peoples Day weekend, Oct. 13. It is located in the alleyway between the Free Range Restaurant and DaVallia Art and Accents on Common Street.

Click any photo to launch the gallery. All photos by Cynthia Prairie.

Artisans Alley Market opened to brisk business Sunday morning.
Jake and his father Scott Blair man the hemp product booth.
Karie Stevens turns sea glass and beads into lovely jewelry.
Stacey Hill creates beautiful and durable cloth baskets.
Gary Chase of Chase Woodworking explains his process for making cutting boards to two shoppers.
Sarah Edelman grows microgreens, including sunflower and corn and creates shopping bags from recycled materials..
Bob and Gail Gibbons sample Mark Ouellette’s kettle corn.
Neomi Graziano makes sterling and gold jewelry.
Sharon Baker, owner of Sharon’s on the Common and who muscled the market into being, is happy with the first day’s turnout of vendors and shoppers.
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Filed Under: Business & Personal Finance • Featured

About the Author: Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor more than 40 years. Cynthia has worked at such publications as the Raleigh Times, the Baltimore News American, the Buffalo Courier Express, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Patuxent Publishing chain of community newspapers in Maryland, and has won numerous state awards for her reporting. As an editor, she has overseen her staffs to win many awards for indepth coverage. She and her family moved to Chester, Vermont in 2004.

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