Ah, the summer shopping season is officially here.
Thursdays on First & 3rd , the weekly summer market and music festival, starts up this week, offering an unparalleled summer shopping experience in downtown Rochester. There are two stages of live music and about 25 restaurants selling food amid the approximately 100 local artisans selling arts, crafts and baked goods.
Among the popular vendors coming back are James Curran, who makes tote bags and purses out of recycled coffee bean bags, Sharron Adams, who makes lawn art out of stones, Patricia Wuttke's Pork Chops Fork Shop spoon rings, metal wine bottle and glass holders by John Tapager, and Jennifer Rogers' Mon Petit cupcakes, said Caitlin Stephenson, marketing and events coordinator for the Rochester Downtown Alliance .
Several new vendors will also set up shop, she said, including Simply Nuts & More , a Twin Cities-based nut company, and duck decoys made out of old wooden golf drivers by James Kasmarek, of Wood Duck Industries .
Another artisan new to the market is Joshua Schroeder, of Pedal Metal Jewelery , who makes jewelry out of recycled bicycle parts. Schroeder teamed up with GypSea Queen jewelry , by Sophia Garcia, of Rochester, who also has a preference toward turning reclaimed items into jewelry.
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The Thursdays on First & 3rd street market is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday through Aug. 29, except July 4, from the Peace Plaza to Historic Third Street Southwest.
Goody, more local goods
If you're in the market for some locally made goods during the other six days of the week, Etsy.com is your connection.
Among the many local artists selling their wares through the online marketplace is Karl Ladin, of Rochester, who creates custom laser cut products as Ladin Laser Worx .
The selection includes letters, monograms (even monogram cake toppers) key chains, zipper pulls and earrings cut out of everything from wood to cardboard to acrylic. Check out the John Marshall and Mayo high school key chains and mustache earrings and necklaces. Or request your own design.
Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin business reporter, also has an Etsy shop called 2ndHandTypo . When he's not pounding out columns, blogs and tweets, the wordsmith behind Heard on the Street is pounding on old computers to harvest the parts for tie tacks, magnets and jewelry.
