7.22.09
Introducing the Fenton Street Market! For two Saturdays this fall, D.C.-area residents will have a new destination for natural baby toys, handmade jewelry, homemade doggie treats, vintage treasures and more: the Fenton Street Market in east Silver Spring, Md.
Organized by Silver Spring resident Hannah McCann, the Fenton Street Market will open for business at the corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Fenton Street on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 3, both from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to coincide with the hours of a nearby farm market. Signed vendors so far include artists, crafters, antique dealers, photographers, the Silver Spring Historical society, and even a bicycle mechanic. “I love the idea of an interactive market—more than just merchandise on tables,” says McCann, who plans to bring the market back next spring on a more frequent basis.
The longtime resident also loves the idea of bringing more activity and energy to her corner of Silver Spring. “As someone who writes about architecture and land development, I’m always thinking about Silver Spring as a developer,” explains McCann, a freelance writer for Architect magazine. “I feel like there’s a funkier part of Silver Spring that people just aren’t exploring.”
McCann hopes her market changes that, both by drawing foot traffic to the Fenton Street Market area and attention to the market’s vendors. “Let it be a first step,” she says. “Let it be a first step for someone to develop a following for their jewelry or their baby toys. I hope the market can become an incubator for small businesses in Silver Spring.”
Her desire to be a launching pad for new vendors led her to make joining the market as easy and affordable as possible. Rentals start as low as $15 a day for a 10-foot-by-10-foot space; 10-foot-by-20-foot spaces run $25 a day. (Applications are due to McCann no later than Aug. 29.) McCann also chose to handle the necessary licensing and insurance for the market through an umbrella policy, freeing new vendors to concentrate on selling their wares, not finding insurance.
“They can just get started,” McCann says.
[Editorial expertly crafted by Alison Rice, Fresh Brew Editorial Services, Arlington, Va.]
8.26.09
Fantastic press! Today in the Gazette, a great article by Jason Tomassini on the Fenton Street Market. I love the lead:
Over a cup of coffee at Highland Coffee on Fenton Street in Silver Spring earlier this summer, resident Hannah McCann started daydreaming. Idly staring at the intersection of Fenton and Silver Spring Avenue across the street, she didn't see the parking lot that was there. Instead, McCann saw her own vision of what the Fenton Village neighborhood should look like: "Something a little funkier than you'd see in downtown Silver Spring," McCann said. "There are a lot of interesting people in our neighborhood, and I hold out hope that Fenton Village might eventually reflect that eclectic character."
Maybe it was the caffeine, but the 36-year-old stay-at-home mom abruptly walked over to the lot, called a phone number listed on a sign nearby and asked if the property owner could accommodate her vision: a vibrant market with artists from Silver Spring selling unique wares to their neighbors and visitors from across the region.
