New Makers Market launches in Faribault

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

The Faribault Makers Market made its debut in downtown’s Central Park in June. The market will run every Saturday through October.

The market will feature a variety of items from area artists and crafters including woodworking, jewelry, artwork, etc. One of the key requirements for vendors participating in the market is that their items for sale must be of original design and hand-crafted by the vendor. No outside merchandise or flea market items can be sold.

The inspiration for the Faribault Makers Market comes from John “Spanky” St. Clair, who serves as market manager. A skilled woodworker, St. Clair creates items such as wood plaques and meat and cheese trays from his Spanky’s Woodshed in Faribault.

A veteran of area craft shows at events like Faribault’s Blue Collar Festival and Heritage Days, St. Clair had also been a frequent visitor to other weekly markets in towns such as Owatonna and Northfield. He liked the concept of those events and believed it was time to bring a market for hand-crafted items to Central Park.

“I am vendor and I was feeling everyone out about this idea at all the events that I went to and I finally decided I have to do this,” St. Clair said about his decision to move forward with the creation of the Maker’s Market.

A resident of Faribault since 1997, St. Clair and his wife Lori St. Clair have been active with the local chapter of American Bikers for Awareness Training and Education. Lori was a vendor coordinator for ABATE events for 12 years and St. Clair was an assistant vendor coordinator with the group.

“They’re the one who got me into this vendor stuff in the first place,” St. Clair said. “I was at the vendors’ area all the time because that is where the action is and that is what got me into being a coordinator.”

The experience with ABATE provided a background in working with vendors and helped St. Clair move into his new role as the Makers Market manager. He was also able to connect with another area artist Kari Casper, who will serve as an assistant with the Makers Market.

Casper’s business, We Bead, creates unique jewelry and crafts. She also serves as the coordinator for the annual Heritage Days Craft Show. Like St. Clair, she also believed the time was right for a weekly event such as the Makers Market in Faribault.

“We visited the adjacent towns and saw their markets and saw how they were doing their fairs, so we’ve got great ideas on how to get this going,” Casper said. “If we built it they will come, and hopefully, we intend to have this grow and to have things like food trucks, live music and local sponsors,”

She added, “It’s fun to enjoy the Minnesota weather and be outside, and go from place to place and see what everyone makes and does. It will be similar to the Strait River Art Festival but just on a regular basis. We just want to help facilitate for our area artists — to show what they have — and bring something into the community.”

Both St. Clair and Casper see the Makers Market as a way to help showcase the talent of area artists and crafters along with creating another attraction for the downtown area in the summer — along with the existing farmers market.

“It’s good economic growth for the community,” Casper said. “If they come here for the market and it’s a fabulous market they’re going to go to a restau- rant or shop at one of the boutiques or businesses. It’s great for the community.”

The Makers Market is still accepting vendors. .

“They will be vetted and we will try to make sure they meet our quality or standard of product to be sold,” Casper said. “It is going to be very professional.”

The cost for vendors for the season is $40. The fee is to help with advertising costs for the market.

Vendors do not have to commit to being there every Saturday, but a roll call will be taken each week, in order to let customers know which vendors will potentially be at the market each week.

As a vendor, one of the benefits of these types of markets is the personal interaction that customers can have with the ar tist. St. Clair has sold his merchandise at shops in the past but he prefers the in-person shows and markets.

“It’s easier to go face-to-face because you can actually talk to the customer,” St. Clair said. “When they see your product (at a store), they just see your product and they don’t even know who you are. These types of markets are more personable.”

In the future, St. Clair and Casper hope to grow the Makers Market and have it become a summertime habit in downtown Faribault.

“I want it bigger than those two,” St. Clair said of the future of the Makers Market in comparison to the weekly markets during the summers in Northfield and Owatonna. “I want to literally fill the park and I don’t see why we can’t do that.”

He added, “My personal goal is that three years from now I want that park full. I want food trucks, kids activities and that stage utilized with music. It’s baby steps right now but I just want to get the thing rolling and after that everything should be able to fall into place.”

Tom Nelson is a freelance writer. Reach the editor at editor@apgsomn.com.

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