The Annual Market Hits the Bricks
April 2018
Writer // Janelle Morrison Photography // Ryan Woodall Photography
Spring activities about town are heavy on our minds, and the 33rd Annual Brick Street Market is right around the corner. Coming to the historic brick Main Street in downtown Zionsville on Saturday, May 12, the Brick Street Market, presented by the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, will host a variety of artists and vendors. The Chamber announced its new date, the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Traditionally, the market opened the weekend after Mother’s Day, the same weekend as the kickoff of the Zionsville Farmers’ Market.
This year, market-goers can expect a few changes to the layout of the market but can expect the same high-quality, juried vendors that have participated in past years.
“This year, Main Street won’t be closed until well after midnight, so that the street and parking will be open on Friday,” said Tom Casalini, Brick Street Market event chair. “The vendors will be bringing in their own tents and will begin setup at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. The market opens at 10 a.m. and will close at 5:30 p.m. We will have Main Street open by 6:30 p.m. at the latest.”
Casalini said that the Chamber anticipates approximately 100 vendors, and the market will offer food trucks and dedicated areas for children’s activities.
“We’ve got four blocks that we turn into Americana for a day, and for those who live in the community with children, it’s a fun family event. The market is an opportunity to show off the Village. There is none other like it.”
The Zionsville Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director Tracy Phillips explained the big change to this year’s market layout. Traditionally, the vendors’ tents were positioned, so the openings were facing the sidewalks. This year, with the Fire Marshal’s approval, the vendors will be repositioned to face each other, providing more space for pedestrian traffic along the sidewalks and easier access to the vendors along Main Street.
“It’s going to be visually interesting,” Phillips said. “The artists are going to be happy, and the merchants are going to be happy. It’s going to be more interesting and attractive. The new layout also allows for more entertainment to be intermixed within all of Main Street.”
Phillips encouraged market-goers to visit the Chamber’s website for a list of attending vendors if they were looking for any of their personal favorites from previous years.
“There is a list of who’s registered as a vendor under the ‘Events & News’ tab,” Phillips explained. “Once on that page, click on ‘Artists Registration Here’ and scroll down to see the list of attending vendors. There are so many talented artists, and our jury tries very hard to select the best of each genre while creating a variety. I think we’ve done a really good job in doing that.”
Phillips emphasized that the new date for the market will prove to be more advantageous for both market-goers as well as the vendors.
“This year, the board made a wise decision,” she said. “The Brick Street Market [used to] open the same weekend as not only the Zionsville Farmers’ Market but also the Broad Ripple Art Fair. [But] we are making a direct effort to raise the quality of the attending artist even more, and now we won’t be conflicting with Broad Ripple, so that the vendors will be able to attend both fairs if they are accepted.”
Phillips recalled attending the market with her mother and daughter when Phillips first moved to Zionsville in 2006.
“The Brick Street Market will be held on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, and we are encouraging mothers and daughters to come to the event together, have a pre-Mother’s Day lunch on Main Street and make a weekend out of the holiday. The Brick Street Market is a perfect event to take your mother to and do some shopping for Mother’s Day.”
For more information on the Brick Street Market and the vendors, visit zionsvillechamber.org.