BREWERY NIGHT MARKETS
WHERE LOCAL FLAVORS, ITEMS AND CRAFT BREWS COME TOGETHER
by James Coulter When he started making pottery, Luke Wilson started on the back patio of his old apartment. There, he would manually propel the pottery wheel with his foot in the Florida heat. Even now that he has his own house, he still pays homage to his humble origins with the name of his business: Patio Pottery Luke considers his hobby to be a meditative one, something that allows him to unwind and escape the world around him. Though he does not have a kiln, he loves every step of the process, from molding the clay to decorating it and finally firing it up. Being able to see his work from start to finish makes him feel accomplished, he said. “Honestly, the satisfaction comes whenever you open that kiln on the final firing where it has been glazed and you can see all of your hundreds of hours of work finished,” he explained. “You are working with, for lack of a better term, dirt and mud, and you are creating something that seems to be out of nothing. It is the constant refinement and making it the best it can be and seeing that improvement each time you do it. It is a tangible improvement on your skills, the thing you keep trying to do, you can see each batch getting better. And to 32 AUGUST 2022
see people appreciate that and be willing to spend money on that to support you, it is really satisfying.” Luke makes all sorts of pottery like mugs, plates, and bowls. He sells his wares at Brew Hub during their monthly Night Markets. He had been working at the brewery for seven years when he first started. Even when he no longer works there, he still frequents the market as a vendor. Attending these markets allows for a more personable experience with customers, especially since he can network with many of them there. “The thing I like most about it has been social. People are there to have a good time, and there are [plenty of] cool artists selling stuff,” he said. “I find that, at the breweries, people are most generous. They are more willing to spend than at other places I have been.” Patio Pottery is one of the many vendors that attend the Night Markets in Brew Hub in Lakeland. The monthly markets are hosted on the third Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. From pottery to soaps, to baked goods and custom signs, visitors can find a little bit of anything and everything at these night markets, where local artists and craftsman sell their wares. Michaela Gannon is a graphic designer by trade. So when she was looking to expand her services, she decided to start making custom-designed pieces through Millie’s Place Boutique. Whether you like Disney, Harry
Potter, or any other popular media, she can create home decor custom to your tastes. Millie’s Place Boutique can also create custom signs, logos, and deck boxes. “I take a lot of my inspiration from the pop culture side and spin it to sell to other people like myself who want one-of-a-kind things they cannot find in the world,” she explained. “I also get a lot of help from my partner, my mom, she is the talent behind the painting, gluing, and assembly of products.” She loves attending Brew Hub’s night market. She has been attending it for more than a year after being invited by one of the bartenders. Rather than offering her the same clientele at the same location, she finds that she has had new customers every time she attends. The regular customers she does attract often book sign parties with her. “Overall, it’s a good location,” she said. “You get a lot of people in who are not local to the area that are traveling between Tampa and Orlando, so I have been able to expand my customer base...It is always a lot of people there. It is never the same people over and over. So, I get a lot of interaction with a lot of different vendors [and customers].” Whether they want to peruse the wares of local artisans and craftsmen, enjoy live music and hot meals from food trucks, or simply take a sip of craft beer and wine, the Brew Hub Night Market offers something for everyone—
FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND WWW.TODAYANDTONIGHT.COM
