Courtesy of HEX
The Grand Market gives three reasons to shop local: fashion, flowers, and folk.
On Sunday, June 10 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. in Midtown, festival-goers will experience a specially curated variety of clothing, music, and art made by creators in St. Louis.
Laura Heying of HEX, as well as Jen Singleton and Alicia Underwood of Socially Jen & Co., brought their local boutique marketing agencies together to create the event in 2017, and they are teaming up again to lead The Grand Market through its second run. Looking back on last year’s success, Singleton promises that this year will be bigger and better.
“We’re looking forward to sharing twice the fun this year with festival-goers,” she says. The number of vendors has doubled from that of the inaugural event. This year, about 60 makers will come together “to include even more locally made fashion, food, decor, and more. I’m very proud of the event we’ve created and I know our second annual festival is going to be a hit.”
Courtesy of HEX
The event will return to the .ZACK building (3224 Locust) in Midtown, where it will host a variety of family-friendly activities. Visitors can shop at local boutiques such as The Spotted Pig and Fauxgerty, visit a petting zoo provided by A Zoo for You, and choose from a selection of local fare including Balkan Treat Box and Nothing Bundt Cakes.
Three different folk bands will perform throughout the day, featuring The Steady Grinders from 10 a.m.–noon, Blair and Bond from 12:30–2 p.m. and Skin and Bones from 2:30–4 p.m. The day-long festival allows visitors to come and go, but the first 100 guests will receive gift bags with over $400 worth of goodies inside.
Although The Grand Market specifically serves to bring St. Louis creators together, it provides a platform to unite the St. Louis community as well.
Courtesy of HEX
"Last year, everyone loved it. They came in and mingled for a long time. Most of the vendors are from St. Louis,” Singleton says. “[People] enjoyed seeing different vendors that they didn’t know about."
Adds Heying, “We really tried to make sure that the vendor list is curated so that you’re not seeing the same people at all the festivals all over town, and we get some fresh faces in there. Shopping local and being community-oriented is definitely one of our visions for the festival.”
