Donald Teuma-Castelletti
CLARENDON Dec. 15, 2018
Art, wine, and food divine filled the Little Red Wagon Winery on Saturday, as their first pop-up artisan market took over the venue.
Featuring local artists, the room was full of paintings, sculptures, jewellery and more, with the last-minute effort garnering a solid crowd of shoppers and diners alike.
Organizer Louise St Laurent Nicoll said the event came to mind as a way to promote not only longstanding artists in the area, but those just starting to put their names out there. As both her and her husband, Andrew Nicoll, are artists, they set out to create their idealized market, with the guidance of some friends.
“We wanted it to be intimate, so everyone could be involved and relaxed,” said Louise.
With this vibe in mind, the decision to host at the winery was a no-brainer. Soon enough, the scene in her mind was brought to life, as guests shopped, dined, and sipped, all the while surrounded by local artisan offerings.
As it was their first time organizing such an event, Louise said they benefitted greatly from the help of winery owner Jennifer Dale Judd. She helped them along in not only organizing, but figuring out who to invite to show, especially in the limited window of space they decided to put this together.
It was just a week ago that Louise and Andrew went all in, but despite the haste, Louise said their market had been working well.
She also added that there had been a great response from the community, with many turning up right for the opening at 11 a.m.
While the idea is certainly to sell a few items, Louise and Andrew were just as thrilled to enjoy the social aspect of the event. Andrew hoped the market to be a break from the norm, standing out among the craft and baking sales so in line with the season.
While they featured a wide variety of metal sculpture, recycling many objects to create new pieces, the room was also filled with paintings, glasswork, wooden bowls, jewellery and more.
Louise said that depending on the success of the day, they’d like to see their pop-up market return, in one way or another. For the time that they had to put together Saturday’s fun, they were very pleased.
“I’m happy with the turnout and thankful for Jenn’s ability to do this,” said Louise.
