Connor Lalande
shawville June 17, 2023
The Producers and Makers Market returned to the Shawville Fairgrounds this past Saturday for its weekly gathering of vendors selling a range of artisan products.
William Bastien, coordinator of the market, explained that after Shawville’s last market stopped operating several years ago, many within the community missed it.
“We missed having one. We missed being able to walk to one. So, we came together and made it happen,” Bastien said.
Cathy Schwartz, who also helps coordinate the market, said that the Shawville Fairgrounds are an excellent asset to the community and are part of its identity.
“It’s important to have something going on at the fairground,” Schwartz said. “This land is an important part of the community, and it should be used more. We want to grow the market and bring in more vendors. The more that come, the more will come.”
According to Bastien, 2022 was the first year of the market and since its inception, it has continued to grow.
The Producers and Makers Market charges vendors $20 for the entire market season. The market also features a community table where vendors who are not able to attend a market day can leave their products to be sold by market coordinators and collect their revenue at a later time.
“Everything is really expensive right now and being at a market shouldn’t have to be,” Bastien said. “We want to create a community and so we all help each other out.”
