The Museum & Gallery’s 6th annual Makers Market will feature arts and crafts designed by makers from across the country with connections to Bob Jones University. This event will be open to the community in the Welcome Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Market will include 33 sellers, which is its largest group ever for the event. These participants consist of BJU graduates, current students and former and current faculty and staff. Erin Jones, the executive director of the Museum & Gallery, likes that this event occurs over Homecoming weekend. She said, “That’s what Homecoming is about, right? Bringing people back home to BJU.”
Items such as pottery, handmade cards and gourmet popcorn can be found at the Market. Jones encouraged everyone to check it out. She said, “There are some high-end pieces, but there’s something for really every pocketbook.”
The Market got its start when a lady in the community recommended the idea to Jones. “She had found out that so many creative artists here in Greenville are actually University grads,” Jones said.
Abigail Prigge, a first-time maker in the Market this year, graduated from BJU in 2018 with associate degrees in Business and Culinary Arts. Her business, My Thyme Line, will be selling clay jewelry, crochet accessories and coasters on Saturday.
Prigge’s business degree from BJU helped her know how to begin and expand her business. She said, “[Without my degree], I would not know where to begin with taxes and pricing things—just all the financial stuff but also marketing.”
Jones explained the process for selecting the various makers. Once the applications to participate have been received, a jury anonymously reviews and rates each business. Those who rate at a certain level are invited to participate in the Market. Jones said, “It’s a good process to let the maker go through that because I think it ends up making a stronger, better market for them, and for the guests too to have such variety.”
For the first time, buyers can pay a $5 fee to attend a private viewing and purchase items from the Market early. This VIP reception will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday.