Fall 2013 DeLand Indie Market October 20th

Get ready for the DeLand Indie Market Fall Edition Sunday October 20th from 11:00am-6:00pm. We will feature Artists, Handmade, Vintage & Boutique Vendors. There will also be live music in the Courtyard of Cafe Da Vinci by Apple Butter Express, Brunch at Dally in the Alley, Drink specials at Nest and Food Trucks on Georgia Avenue. Please come and join for an amazing day in Historic Downtown DeLand!

Creation of the DeLand Indie Market at Artisan Alley

The one word that comes to mind is WOW! A few months back this was just an idea. The idea was to create a market with a specific vibe. We would hand pick vendors to suit what our vision was. Then within a matter of weeks it was actually coming to fruition. With the help of amazing people it took form and the DeLand Indie Market at Artisan Alley was born. This idea of a curated market was new territory for me. I have been an Event Planner for many years and have done many a wedding, corporate or nonprofit event in my day but this was like nothing I had done before. The road we chose to initially get the buzz on the street was social media and word of mouth. Facebook was my best friend. By sharing the event with all the cool kids I know created a flood of emails from from Artists, Boutiques, Vintage Dealers and Handmade Vendors wanting to share images of their work and be a part of this first event. The months ahead were a learning experience to say the least. I learned a lot more about what not to do. That is the norm for any first time event so I couldn't beat myself up to much. As the wheels in my head were spinning I noticed how many people were responding to the idea. Then the media picked up on it and we were getting interviews and making front pages of papers or the business section. What the heck was going on? Could this actually turn into something huge? As it got closer to the Market my nerves were shot. I kept thinking "Ok we have all the vendors what if no one shows up or worse shows up but doesn't buy?" Flash forward to the morning of... My amazing friends had clipboards in hand with spreadsheets of vendor info and space numbers. They had a crash course and were ready to start bossing. I chose some of my most bossiest friends for this job and they were perfect! When it reached 11:45 and the market was getting ready to open I noticed how many people were already there. Vendors were still trying to set up. This was a pretty freaking awesome feeling! By 12:24 I was sitting down to write some notes and trying to cool down when I burst into tears. Tears of joy and excitement! I was looking out into the Alley and Garage and it was packed full of people. Not only were there people those people were buying! My worst fears were long gone. Around mid day the sky decided to open up not once but twice on us. A weird thing happened during this time, I looked around and saw everyone still smiling, laughing and having a good time. I should rephrase that. Not everyone, my poor vendors outside were getting pounded but when the skies cleared they came out from under their rain soaked tents wiped down the merchandise put those amazing smiles on their faces and picked up right where they left off. There were major puddles and flooding going on and I watched as people just took off their shoes and acted like this was an everyday occurrence. They continued to eat, drink, shop and listen to music. I watched adorable little kids jump, kick and splash each other and AGAIN I began to tear up.(If you know me it is a bit of a running joke how much a do this) Anyways the bottom line was people felt good. The Vibe of the first DeLand Indie Market was absolutely perfect! So here we go. To everyone involved I am giving you the biggest Thank you ever! Without each and every person who was a part of this day it would have never turned out the way it did. I said if it was a success we would do it 4 times a year. So I would say without a doubt SUCCESS! Keep up with the blog to see whats next for the DeLand Indie Market. Yours, Courtney