Last August, the Great Marietta Marketplace, a unique, mobile curated outdoor market, took over East Muskingum Park with more than 40 handmade, vintage and small business vendors. This year, the Marketplace will return to the park on Saturday, August 24th for a full day of local celebration. An offshoot of the original Marietta Marketplace, the event is now coordinated by Clutch MOV in partnership with Marietta Main Street.

“The Great Marietta Marketplace is a wonderful opportunity to invite small business owners, entrepreneurs, bakers, growers, and local artists into downtown Marietta who do not have a brick and mortar location,” said Cristie Thomas, one of this year’s organizers. “Pop-up marketplaces like The Great Marietta Marketplace are a great way for small business owners to test a product, capture support, grow a following and network with other creatives.”

Last year’s vendors included local artists such as Nicole Harris, Elements of Earth, Sweet Gypsy Brand, Marietta Gretta, and The Minted Vintage, as well as regional makers like Champaign Paper, Poor Sparrow, and Little Chicago Clothing Co. Shoppers also had an opportunity to listen to local music while they browsed and grab a tasty bite to eat from local food trucks.

“[The Great Marietta Marketplace was] one of the best events we’ve done!” said Mandy Kupfner, owner of Heartmade Candle Co. “It was a great day meeting so many wonderful vendors and customers. We look forward to the next one!”

This year, organizers hope to expand the event to include more participants. “Last year was our first year of bringing back the Marketplace and it held true to its name – the quality of our vendors, the turn out of the community, and even the weather was great,” said Thomas. “This year, the buzz is already generated around our 2019 events and we’ve already received more applications from vendors than we have in the past. We cannot wait to see the community come out in droves, just like they did last year, and celebrate the incredible local vendors, food trucks, musicians, and nonprofits who are featured.”

The 2019 Great Marietta Marketplace is excited for the return of vendors like Brad Yurko of Yurko Stitch, an Akron craftsman who makes wallets and leather goods from recycled baseball gloves, Stephanie Orr, a Zanesville-based ceramic artist known for her itty bitty animals, and Lyndsay Beihl of Wildroot Flower Co., who sold of our her first batch of bouquets within the first two hours of last year’s market, as well as new vendors from across Ohio, West Virginia and beyond.

In addition to handmade and vintage vendors, the Great Marietta Marketplace features local food trucks, nonprofits, and small businesses, as well as local music, sponsored by West Virginia Federal Central Credit Union. This year, organizers are also planning a second marketplace – the Holiday Marietta Marketplace – on Saturday, December 7th, to be held inside the Armory.

Vendors can apply now to participate in one or both Marietta Marketplace events. The deadline for the first round of applications for the summer market is Friday, June 14th. After this date, the application fee will increase by $20.


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