Courtesy of May's Place
Spending the afternoon at a craft show is great fun—but what if was more of a party? Having a show at night sure helps, and having it in a bar does, too.
Enter May’s Night Market, coming this Friday to the Ready Room. It’s the first installation in a series of four market nights for this year, after a highly successful run of Night Markets last year. The Night Market brings together a selection of locally produced or curated items under one roof, in an atmosphere that’s more rock and roll, less rocking chair.
It’s hosted by May’s Place, the St. Louis vintage boutique co-owned by Katie May with her husband Andy May. The shop offers vintage goods, as well as antiques and work from local artisans and makers. Old-school LPs records share shelf space with clothing, accessories, and local coffee.
The local scene, from vintage hounds to crafty artisans, inspires May.
“It’s very important to us to support local goods and local makers,” says May. “Just being surrounded by people doing really cool things inspired me to get them in front of the masses.”
If you’re busy Friday, don’t fret. The Market returns June 15, September 28, and December 7.
The series last year was a lot of fun, and plenty of vendors are coming back for seconds. But there are also a lot of first-time participants.
“We had so many new vendors come out of the woodwork,” she says. “I’m so pleased to see so many new faces.”
Besides May’s Place, check out offerings from Shop Mule, RustyMae Designs, Fable & Lore, LuluVoodoo Vintage, Key Rose Customs, Golden Gems, Prioritized Pastries, Roughneck Grooming Supply Co., Rabbits and Rags, Busy Bandit, Creature Type, and plenty more. May says in selecting the offerings, she was mindful of variety in the offerings—it’s not just all hyper-feminine 50s clothes; funkier eras are represented as well.
And speaking of funky—no disrespect to Grandma, but this ain’t her craft show.
“A lot of the craft shows and markets are during the day,” May says. “We wanted to create a party atmosphere.”
The houselights at the Ready Room will be low and the music will be up. If you’re thirsty, the bar’s open, and food options abound too. Sounds like a party to us.
May’s Night Market at the Ready Room. 4195 Manchester Ave. 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free.
