Pepper Place rolling out Maker’s Village

Building on the success of their existing farmers market and craft vendors, the organizers of Pepper Place Farmers Market are introducing a new concept this month. 

The Maker’s Village will be a collection of about 20 hand-picked vendors from across the state who “make stuff that is cool and authentic and rewarding,” said organizer Leigh Sloss-Corra. They will be joined by musicians, food vendors and “Maker Ambassadors,” who will speak each Saturday on their craft and give presentations, demonstrations or workshops.

“It’s really about the people that are doing extraordinary work in Alabama with Alabama products,” Sloss-Corra said.

While the whole market runs from April 9 to Dec. 10, the Maker’s Village will only be open from June 4 to Sept. 3. 

Each Saturday, the Village will be set up in the parking lot next to OvenBird from 8 a.m. to noon. The adjacent Scene Gallery will host each week’s speaker at 10 a.m. and possibly a second speaker at 11 a.m., Sloss-Corra said.

The June 4 speaker will be Garlan Gudger of Southern Accents Architectural Antiques, located in Cullman.

The speakers and vendors include some artisans who are internationally known, such as the quilters of Gee’s Bend, as well as locals such as Confederate Motors and Great Bear Wax Co. Sloss-Corra said the vendors, chosen by a committee, will change each week “so people have plenty of opportunities to discover new people.”

The Maker’s Village leads up to the Southern Makers Festival, which will be at Sloss Furnaces in September.

For more information, visit pepperplacemarket.com.