The Chesterton European Market

Autumn 2021

This year has been an incredibly special one, marked by momentous change and new beginnings. Over the summer, I made the decision to expand what began as a travel and art blog, and officially started my own business. I wanted to take the inspiration I gather from my travel experiences and pour that into handmade creations, in the hopes of igniting the imaginations of others. The choice to leap boldly into entrepreneurship has proven to be one of the best directions I’ve ever taken, as it has lit the way to exciting opportunities and absolutely wonderful people.

When the Grumpy Gnome and I were exploring ways to build this business, we fell in love with the idea of participating in outdoor markets. The scenic designer in me was thrilled by the prospect of creating an engaging world within a tent, and all kinds of possibilities began to emerge in my mind. The Grumpy Gnome had a clear vision of how to incorporate our love of crystals and collectibles. Through working together, we began building a shop authentic to our genuine interests, curiosities, and experiences. He would bring home vintage treasures, marvelous crystals, and oddities…and I would find ways to elevate them through artistry. This beloved endeavor gave us a focus–a way to express our passion for travel, history, folklore, artwork, books…and it lifted us from feeling stuck in the midst of a global pandemic where travel was highly restricted. Participating in outdoor markets became a kind of window through which we could share our stories, and it’s become a remarkable way to connect with others.

One of my favorite local markets of the region is the Chesterton European Market, located in Northwest Indiana just south of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s an event that takes place on Saturdays, and runs from May through October every year. The market is run by the Duneland Chamber of Commerce. They also host holiday events in late November and early December before the official close of the season. Tents are set up by independent vendors in the dark, early hours of Saturday morning, at the center of Chesterton’s downtown area. A park stretches to the east, with eclectic, cozy shops lining the historic main street. For the past few years, I’ve always enjoyed exploring this market and meeting the people who make it possible.

When we decided to start a business of our own, this market was my first choice! In the late summer I took photos of everything I had been making, organized them into a multi-page document, and applied online. This market is a juried one, and it can take some time to hear back. I remember waiting in tense anticipation, checking for an email every day and hoping for good news. And most fortunately, we were accepted! We decided to sign up for the month of October and the holiday events, to give ourselves enough time to prepare.

After we were accepted and our dates approved, the real prep work began. I went through several drafts of ways to arrange our tent, explored the possibilities of how to create levels, and estimated just how much we’d be able to fit into our cars. We found the basics of our set up most efficiently through Amazon–the tent, tables, and table coverings. I built many of the table top displays, including a dome-topped wooden trunk and a ladder from large elm branches. All of the elements were pieced together from things that inspired us, that we picked up during hikes in nature or from perusing thrift stores. I really enjoy working with natural materials, and decided to lean into a woodland aesthetic to evoke a sense of earthly enchantment. Visually, I love things that are naturally irregular and celebrate the “imperfections” present in handmade creations. The cracks and inconsistencies give things character, they help tell their story. And storytelling is the concept that connects everything we do.

A few highlights from our first dates at the Market

Our first date at the market was October 2nd. It was chilly, and a light rain misted the air. We were so excited and bewildered by that first day that we barely noticed the weather. I learned pretty quickly that it’s always a good idea to bring the extra tent walls and dry towels. We instantly felt at home, despite our inexperience. Meeting the other vendors was fantastic–they’re a colorful assembly of characters, and made us feel welcome. I managed to set up our Square card reader just before the start time of 8am, and breathed a sigh of relief when it worked. Just like that, we were open for business. Live, official, in person. That moment felt so open, exciting, uncertain, and wondrous. We had stepped into a new kind of adventure, where you’re not exactly confident in what you’re doing, but have full trust in the process. Every person we met that day was fantastic! The joy we both felt in expressing our enthusiasm for crystals, art, travel, and vintage treasures was absolutely awesome. It was our first experience sharing our work with people in person, since we had found our start online during the height of the pandemic lockdowns. The experience of that first day really motivated me, like nothing had before. People actually cared about what we were doing–they were interested in the same things we were, and wanted to support it. I am continually amazed by just how rewarding, uplifting, and encouraging that realization has been.

*A view of the sky from our ladder shelf, and the crystal garden terrariums*

All of the market dates in October were great–some busier than others, but generally, all went well. We learned more with every passing week as new ideas flowed forth. I felt inspired to make new pieces, and really enjoyed seeing how people responded. While I was feeling a bit of pressure to make loads of products for the upcoming holidays, I caught myself before the stress set in with the reminder that it’s our first season. Whatever I could achieve would be a learning experience, and I wanted the process to be fun. Incidentally, I did dedicate many late nights and long hours to creating and making. But, that effort came from a place of genuine joy. I felt driven, enthused to work with different materials and see what I could come up with. This kind of approach engaged my creativity in a renewed way. It felt like a healthy kind of stress, that was encouraging and not depleting. I worked incredibly hard, but felt great about it. The entirety of this experience opened my mind to what work could feel like and that motivated me even further. This revitalized perspective is but one of many gifts that the experience of the market has given me as an artist.

Art & Nature

New creations in progress…

From the Market…

*Garden terrariums, hand-bound sage bundles, crystal kits, and wooden art coasters*

One of the creations I owe to the inspiration of the market are my garden terrariums. I’ve been really enjoying the process of experimenting with plants, making tiny worlds where small crystals have a place to reside. It provides a context for the crystals, and offers an element of nature to carry indoors just in time for the coldest phase of the year. This process led to new ideas about what Christmas ornaments could be, and I began making floral terrariums in both clear glass and plastic bulbs. Having absolutely no idea whether anyone would find them interesting, I made as many as time allowed for and set up a large garland to hang them from. They framed the entrance to our tent for the Mistletoe Market, enveloping the space like magical floating orbs. I was elated to see that they caught the fascination of many people, and became our most popular item of the final market day!

Our first market season concluded with the Mistletoe Market event on December 4th. It was easily our busiest, most prosperous day yet, and an outstanding experience overall. We had unusually sunny weather for early December, which seemed to beckon a good sized crowd to venture outdoors. Friends we hadn’t seen for some time came by to visit, which made the day all the more wonderful. It really was the best experience I could have hoped for. And I’m already planning for next season! The Grumpy Gnome and I are both so grateful, enthusiastic, and hopeful for everything to come. This market has opened a kind of door to the outside world that is more personal and deeply connective than selling online can be. We are really looking forward to growing, building, and continuing this kind of adventure in our business!