Carson City’s Downtown Vintage Market prepares for second year with new beer garden, kids zone and more
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Wed, 05/03/2023 - 12:13pm
Last year, Travis Legatzke and Shannon Cord unveiled the Downtown Vintage Market on Stewart Street to great success.
Tucked away in historic downtown Carson City, the market offers everything from antiques, to arts and crafts, collectibles to furniture. The pair have also obtained the first-ever mobile-only liquor license in the city, according to Shannon, for use in their market beer garden.
“Last year, the market was a good testament to everything — not just seeing how we could make our dream happen with two small kids, but also by overcoming barriers with the city,” Shannon said. “We had to change a lot of people’s minds, because they had never offered a mobile-only liquor license to someone without a restaurant before, but now we’ll be able to have our beer garden, and pop ups at different events."
The market isn’t only for the grown ups though — having two young children of their own, they want to make certain the market is not just family-friendly, but family oriented.
“We have cooling stations with kids activities, places to eat, and we’re actively searching for vendors who can provide kids crafts, kids balloons, hats, jewelry, etc.”
Another barrier the Downtown Vintage Market has been able to surpass is their ability to offer vendors market locations without the added cost of obtaining a business license first.
“For crafters or sellers who are just starting out, the added cost of a $300 or $400 business license is really prohibitive,” Shannon said. “However, the city okayed us for vendors to sell for four summers — the equivalent of four quarters in a standard year — without having to obtain a business license. It’s important to help people get on their feet and make money the first season without so many obstacles and restrictions.”
The Downtown Vintage Market is seeking vendors from a broad spectrum of vintage, antiques, collectibles, crafts, art, and everything in between.
Last year, with the Carson City Farmers Market also being positioned on Stewart Street, they kept vendor prices similar.
Now, however, with the farmers market relocating to Mills Park, the vintage market is dropping their pricing to $18.64 per month — $335 for the season — if the vendor books for the full season in honor of Nevada’s statehood, which joined the union in 1864.
“We want local artisans, local crafters, selling locally,” Travis said. “We want to support our community.”
Travis said they’ve worked closely with the Carson City Arts and Culture Commission to connect with local artists who want to sell directly to community members, and recently connected with the Nevada Artist’s Association at the Brewery Arts Center.
“We want to bring out local artisans and crafters and connect them directly to market,” Travis said. “It’s a main part of our mission: to get more local people and local crafts out and about for the summer.”
Travis said the relocation of the farmer’s market is an opportunity to create a “market hop,” something the capital city hasn’t had before.
“I think it will be great,” he said. “People can head to the farmers market to buy their fresh fruit and vegetables, and on their way back to downtown, can stop at our market and visit our beer garden or grab lunch at one of our food trucks, or vice versa.”
The Downtown Vintage Market takes place every Saturday June through September at the corner of Stewart and Spear streets in Carson City from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you are interested in becoming a vendor, or simply would like more information, you can contact the market at manager@downtownvintagemarket.com or by visiting https://downtownvintagemarket.com.
