First Friday Makers Market Is Back
Are you a maker looking to branch out, meet new people, and sell your good at local events? Whether you’ve participated in 100+ events over the years, or you’ve never sold at one before, we would love to have you set up at the First Friday Makers Market in downtown Springfield, Ohio!
This vendor event will feature handmade artists, makers, bakers, and so much more. From sweet treats to home goods to plants to accessories and everything in between, if it’s handmade, you can find it here. We really love this market because of how unique and diverse it is. There are no guidelines about what you have to bring. The only rule is that is be made by hand and not mass produced as we really want to highlight all of the talent in our community and beyond. You never know what cool things you’re going to find when you’re at a handmade market.
It takes place on the First Friday of each month during the months of May through October (to make it easier, I’ll list the dates below) and runs in the evening from 5-7 PM. Vendors will set up on the Heritage Center Plaza and down the North Market Place Alley, right between the Heritage Center and COhatch.
Event Dates:
May 5, 2023
June 2, 2023
July 7, 2023
August 4, 2023
September 1, 2023
October 6, 2023
FFMM Dates: May 5, June 2, July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1, and Oct. 6.
First Friday Makers Market began last summer (in 2022) and it was really fun to see so many local makers and artisans get to make connections amongst one another and with Springfield’s community as a whole. We got to host a lot of first time vendors at this event and it was really cool to be able to help people get that experience.
Last year the event was a free event so we could get an idea of what the turnout would be and give people the chance, and a safe space, to set up their crafts at a vendor event. We had a lot more vendors reach out than we could possibly accommodate, and we felt bad for having to turn so many people away just to have numerous vendors drop off last minute, or with no explanation at all. Some vendors just didn’t show up on the day of the event and didn’t reach out to communicate. This year we began charging a small fee to both help with advertising purposes to get the word out and to ensure that vendors are less likely to back out. The more advertising we do, the better the turnout will be. Make sure you’re helping us spread the word as well! Make plans with a friend to visit, and if you can’t make it, just sharing our posts helps more people learn about our event. We can’t wait to see this market come to life in just a few more days.
Participating in vendor events and markets is a great way to help your small business grow and to help you grow as an artist. You’ll be giving yourself the chance to see which of your handmade crafts will sell well and which ones won’t. You will also be given the opportunity to make connections with other local crafters. Getting the opportunity to see how our products looked and sold next to other local vendors has been really great for helping us decide things like what we should be making and how we should set our booths up at events. We would be a very different business if we never began setting up at events and we couldn’t imagine where we would be if we hadn’t met all the really amazing local people we have gotten to connect with through these kind of events.
First Friday Makers Market: May Vendors
Each month will have different vendors and some will be at each event. Vendor lists will be posted as the dates fill up so be on the lookout for those! We’ll be sharing them to the event page on Facebook which can be found here or on our Instagram which can be found here.
How to Apply
If you are a local maker interested in applying for a spot in the First Friday Makers Market, all you have to do is apply by clicking on the “Apply Here” button below. You can apply for as many or as few events as you would like as there are no requirements on a number you must attend. Once you’re approved, you’ll receive an email with a confirmation and further instructions on how to pay the $25 booth fee. Please note that spots are limited and are filling up fast so we recommend applying quickly if you’re interested!
We are so excited to bring back the First Friday Makers Market to downtown Springfield, Ohio. We’ve been working really hard to make sure everything goes smoothly, but this event wouldn’t be what it is without you. If you’re a local maker, we encourage you to apply. The more, the merrier. Even if you aren’t a maker, we would love for you to help spread the word and stop by to see what everyone has to offer. We are exactly one week away from our May FFMM and we can’t wait to see you!
Huge shout out to Tracey from Sip & Dipity, Sarah from Crunchy Candy, and Lacy from Redeemed Designs, LLC for all the hard work to make this event so much bigger than I could have done by myself.
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