Top 3 Traveling US Markets

It’s that time of year again: summer. Worst yet: summer in Florida. Come early May, many local markets take a heat related hiatus, and return in early October. Many markets switch over to nighttime hours of operation, move indoors for smaller pop-ups, or shut down entirely.

High temps can mean low attendance in the market world. For makers and shoppers, this could be the perfect time to branch out. It might be time to plan a summer getaway, or check on maker events in the cities you plan to summer in!

Here’s a run down of our 3 favorite traveling markets! Vendors, check on upcoming show dates and plan to hit the road and go mobile with your business! Being an outsider has its perks; consider getting yourself in front of an entirely new audience! For shoppers, have you been looking for an excuse to get out of town? Maybe you’ve already got a trip planned but want to find a unique opportunity to experience the local culture; finding a craft market in the area could give you a taste of local flavor you can’t get elsewhere.

1- MARKETS FOR MAKERS

The Tampa Bay natives started slinging market events in Clearwater Florida. Now you can catch their markets all over the US. It’s run by boss babes (and personal friends) so boss you want to call them *bawse*. Their 2019 lineup includes: Nashville, Indianapolis, Miami, Chicago, Jacksonville and Kansas City! If you’re in Tampa Bay, check out their monthly night market, COPPERTAIL NIGHT MARKET, at COPPERTAIL BREWING CO; it happens the 1st Thursday of every month from 6-10pm. Their large scale, ticketed events, transform beautiful venue spaces into “shop local” opportunities complete with: photo walls, diy flower crowns, mobile bars, food trucks and more! Find them on FACEBOOK! Follow them on INSTAGRAM!

2- RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR

Renegade is the godfather of all traveling markets, i.e. the don. Makers from around the US travel with Renegade just for the opportunity to showcase at their fairs. Floridians, we are lucky enough to have them pop up in Miami every blue moon! According to them, they’re the “broadest reaching curated craft showcase in the world, attracting 300K+ attendees and featuring 3K+ creatives annually.” Their 2019 lineup includes: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, London, LA, Miami, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle! Find them on FACEBOOK! Follow them on INSTAGRAM!

3- UNIQUE MARKETS

Does Unique LA sound familiar to you? If you’ve been living under a rock, they claim it “started in December of 2008 and instantly became the largest indoor ‘buy local’ shopping event in the country.” They’ve since left #UniqueLA behind them, since they’re now popping up in cities near you across the US! Their 2019 lineup includes: LA, Washington, Seattle, Denver and Minneapolis! Find them on FACEBOOK! Follow them on INSTAGRAM!

As always, tune in to RADIOSTPETE every Friday (8a, 12p, 5p) and Saturday (8a)! Check out our recurring column in GREEN BENCH MONTHLY magazine, MOVERS & MAKERS! Share your finds with us by using #HitTheMarket! Stay cool, literally!

Top 3 Traveling US Markets