Hamilton Flea
Ty and Lauren Smallwood had noticed an interesting trend: when people go to visit a fun, curated art market or festival, like the City Flea in Cincinnati’s Washington Park, they often end up lingering: they play in nearby parks, get dinner at a local restaurant, or duck into some shops to continue the fun.
With a passion for business and community growth in Hamilton, they embarked on a journey to begin the Hamilton Flea in 2016. Since then, they have figured out how to make their curated craft goods market fun for families, a relaxing atmosphere for friends, and a profitable venture for artisans.
Every #secondsaturday of the summer, from May to September, the Hamilton Flea sets up in Marcum Park, near Hamilton’s downtown. The vendors are a mix of artisans that create their own high-quality products, local brewers to provide beer for the shoppers, and food trucks for sustenance. Children play in the Marcum Park splashpad, kick soccer balls around the great lawn, and visit the Library Bookmobile or the pet adoption truck from the Humane Society.
This year will be the third year for the Flea, and there are plenty of exciting new elements in addition to the traditions already established.
“This year, we’ll have free yoga on the lawn before the Flea opens,” Lauren Smallwood said. “We’ve got new designs for our Flea shirts, and we’re partnering with Municipal Brew Works to create a unique beer just for the Flea.” One of the ways that the Flea continues to attract high-quality vendors is through their support. “Many events don’t offer any help with set-up and tear-down, but we try to have volunteers available for that,” Ty Smallwood said. “Vendors notice and love it, and it keeps them coming back.”
One major victory for the Flea was a bus tour they did to show vendors from the market around Hamilton, encouraging them to envision what it would be like to open up a storefront here. “We want to keep thinking, “how can we communicate and give our vendors more options?” Lauren Smallwood said.
Ty Smallwood also emphasizes that he never sees the event as isolated. “We orient people toward spending a day in Hamilton: come to the Flea, but also invest throughout our city. No matter your age, there is something to do for a whole day here.”
The City of Hamilton has helped the Smallwoods along the way, but this venture is truly theirs; it is a grassroots campaign and they have a board of directors for their non-profit that help them with ideas and guidance.
When asked what their favorite moment of the Flea is, Lauren and Ty agreed. “There’s that magical moment each time,” Lauren said. “When the music is on and everyone is pretty much ready, and someone says ‘the people are coming!’ I know the support for this market is there, but just to see it over and over is definitely inspiring and fulfilling.”
Want to learn more? Visit www.hamiltonflea.org to learn more about the upcoming events.