At least 104 vendors are confirmed for the Fall Market at Collegedale Commons on Saturday, just shy of the organizer’s goal for one of the first arts-and-crafts events of the 2020 fall festival season.
“I was shooting for 110,” said Shannon Wright, owner of Touch the Sky Events & Promotions. “I may still get there. People always wait till the last minute.”
Part of the reluctance may be due to uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, which has cut back the number of festivals in the tri-state region to about a third of the number scheduled last year. Wright said she is confident the Fall Market can take place safely. Founders’ Hall Pavilion will be open air for this event, with 10-foot aisles for the 44 vendors who will be set up inside. Remaining vendors will be set up outside around the commons. Hand sanitizer will be available at every booth, and masks are encouraged.
“They’re not mandated because it’s considered an outdoor market,” Wright said.
The array of merchandise will include pottery and paintings, jewelry, boutique clothing, soaps and lotions, wood signs, candles, elderberry products, muscadine juice, birdhouses, high-end knives, Tupperware, pet accessories, hemp products and CBD oil. Other vendors will present home-improvement services, such as windows, siding and gutters. Another specializes in posture. Another will bring a petting zoo. Some dealers will offer homemade face masks and all-natural cleaning products, both of extra importance these days.