Dec 30, 2022
HANCOCK — The newly organized Hancock Cold Season Farmers Market will return to the Orpheum Theater on Jan. 5, from 3-6 p.m., said one organizer, Zack Osborne. The upcoming event will be the third this season.
“We had sort of like a grand opening on Dec. 15,” said Zack Osborne, “for people who wanted to get some holiday shopping in.”
The response was so positive that shoppers as well as vendors wanted to have another market the week before Christmas, said Osborne. The second market event, occurred on Dec. 22.
Osborne said items available at the indoor market are essentially everything that falls under the Michigan Cottage Law.
“That would be your baked goods, like bagels, cookies and other assorted pastries,” he said. “There are some people there with jams and jellies, which is also under that umbrella.”
Additionally, he said, there are also vendors selling arts-and-crafts and other artisan-made things, such as paracord items and tools.
Sew Cranky of Hancock, a restoration, repair shop and sewing studio, specializing in antique hand crank machines made their way down Quincy St. to the Orpheum earlier this month. Owner Ginger Alberti can be found at the Calumet market in the summer.
“It’s always nice to see other vendors, and meet new members of the public,” Alberti said, explaining how the friendly atmosphere of the market can be an opportunity to build new relationships and generate more business for the brick and mortar operation.
Osborne said the cold season market will be a weekly event.
“We wanted to mimic the summer Tori Market farmers market,” he explained. “That’s why we chose Thursday, 3-6 p.m. We wanted it to be as seamless for the consumers as possible.”
With the Orpheum, and the cold season market, now directly across Quincy Street from the Tori market location, consumers do not even have to change up their favorite parking spots, Osborne added.
While most of the farmers markets in the area tend to focus more on agricultural foods from local producers, the Hancock Cold Season market is more generalized, providing a wider variety of vendors winter business.
There is a kombucha vendor, for instance, along with someone selling mushroom grow kits.
“We definitely have a very wide spread of things,” said Osborne, “and so, a lot of selection.”
Osborne, an educator and independent business owner is also a vendor.
He said he is also looking to line up local artists to provide live music and take advantage of the Orpheum’s historic space.
“At the market on the 22nd,” said Osborne, “we had some live music there and it went over really well. We’re hoping to have some on the 5 and also on the 12 of January as well. So, it will be shopping and the show, if you stop by on the 5th.”
Osborne said his interest in the Cold Season Market comes from his being a regular vendor in Hancock.
“The Calumet Cold Season Market was full,” he said, “and on top of that, there were no options for Houghton-Hancock based vendors.”
Osborne said the idea of the cold season market began with him having a vested interest, saying he would not mind having more options and more days to operate his business, and other vendors shared that same thought, suggesting something that would operate year-round.
“Then, all of a sudden now, we have — probably a dozen vendors who are interested in contacting me. So, it has grown into this really big and really cool thing, so I want to do my due diligence, and see this thing take off.”
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