The market features over 50 vendors, (some local to Raleigh-Durham and others traveling from far-flung cities) who all add their own personal flair and design-sense to everyday items such as baby clothes, bath soaps, key chains and sun dresses. Shoppers in search of unique, handcrafted jewelry will be especially delighted: a large percentage of the vendors are jewelry-makers.
Even though the Handmade Market has recently moved into a new, relatively spacious venue on West Street in downtown Raleigh the setup is still very cozy, to say the least. Luckily, the crowd attending the market is a friendly one, made up mostly of young women looking to buy handcrafted items to wear, decorate with, or give as gifts.
The Handmade Market is the brainchild of The Handmaidens, a group of nine Triangle-area artists and designers who felt that Raleigh was ripe for a non-mall shopping experience such as theirs. In addition to promoting independent artists and artisans, the Handmade Market is also a fundraising event: shoppers contribute and optional admission fee that is donated to worthy charities such as Hospice of Wake County and Animal Kind.
For more information about the Handmade Market, email hello@thehandmademarket.com
