Old Port to host artisan market with a 'young and funky' side to it

Two people look at artisan wares at a table.

Photo / Courtesy Jess Webb Photography In July, Fete obtained city permission to close a street block to set up an artistan market for the Knightville Summer Stroll in South Portland.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Thirty artists and makers will be setting up their wares for the first Old Port Makers Market scheduled for Aug. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a rain date of Aug. 31.

A second market is slated for Oct. 18, with a rain date of Oct. 25.

The open-air event, produced by a Portland business called Fête Market, will be held within a four-acre block bounded by Middle, Union, Fore and Exchange streets.

The block has been dubbed Old Port Square by East Brown Cow, which owns a number of properties in the area.

“At East Brown Cow, we have been endeavoring for years to further activate this space so that it serves and reflects the local area,” said Jacob Soley, East Brown Cow’s director of development. “We could not have found a better collaborator than Fête Market.”

He added, “Known for their thoughtful curation of makers and excellent vendor support, we look forward to seeing how they bring new energy to Old Port Square.”

The curated, pop-up market will showcase local artists and ceramicists, metalsmiths, woodworkers, weavers, jewelers and more.

Established in 1989, East Brown Cow and its affiliates comprise a real estate management, investment and development firm in the Old Port.

Young and funky

Fête aims to bridge the gap between a flea market and a craft show, providing entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase their creations and talents.

It was founded as a casual endeavor in 2021. For the past two years, it’s been run by Gabrielle Jolie, with her fiancé George Katilus helping with marketing.

A person in overalls stands outside a door.

Photo / Courtesy Fete

Gabrielle Jolie is a ceramicist who runs her business out of her home and began running Fete last year.

The idea is similar to local craft fairs, but different.

“We curate our vendors to be more young and funky,” said Jolie. “We go for trendy products.”

Jolie, 25, grew up in Maryland and summered in Maine as a kid. She moved to Maine several years ago.

She’s a ceramicist who runs her pottery business out of her home, where she has a kiln in a backyard shed and one in the basement, and crafts functional items, such as plates and soap dishes in the shape of fish and shells or with fish and other maritime images.

Artist network

Already familiar with the market scene, she more or less inherited Fete from the founder, who was a friend.

The Old Port Makers Market will be Fete’s second event for this year. Each market has been receiving over 150 applications for about 30 slots. Artists are curated to be different each time.

“We rotate our selection of vendors to ensures everyone gets a chance to show what they make,” she said.

Photo / Courtesy Jess Webb Photography

Like the Knightville market, seen here, Fete’s events showcase 30 artisan vendors.

Other locations last year and this year included the Austin Street brewery in Portland, a Portland distillery called Après, the Maine Community Bank parking lot in Biddeford, a holiday market coming up at Portland clothing store Toad & Co. and the second Old Port Square market in October. A Fete market was set up in South Portland in July for the Knightville Summer Stroll, which involved getting a city permit to close a street along one block.

The idea for a market sometimes comes from Fete and other times from a community or a property owner.

Logistics

Marketing largely comes through word-of-mouth.

“I have a hefty network of local artists that I’m involved with,” she said.

Participating vendors help spread the word through social media. Fete uses its website and social media for marketing, including ads on Facebook. The business’s Instagram account has 3,700 followers and Jolie’s account has close to 20,000 followers. The markets typically draw 200 to 400 shoppers.

The markets are a logistical feat that starts with taking vendor applications between February and May, which means planning for, say, a holiday market almost a year in advance.

Then there’s sorting through the applications and sending out acceptances, including to wait-listers.

For the day of the event, the vendors are organized into load-in times. Jolie and Katilus arrive a couple of hours early, mark out on the ground 10-foot-by 10-foot spots where each vendor should set up, and direct traffic flow. Vendors bring their own tents and displays. Jolie sets up her own display as well.

Vendors pay a fee that basically covers marketing expenses.

“It probably doesn’t come out to me making much money at the end of the day, but it helps out a little bit,” she says. “It’s really rewarding work, which is the main reason I do it. It’s so important to me to help uplift other small businesses.”

Jolie says she also positions Fete as a launchpad for newer makers by providing community tents for shared use for a lower fee.

“With the launch of the Old Port Makers Market, we are able to offer our artists and makers a downtown venue space that aims to inspire and engage with the surrounding neighborhood,” she said.