“The response has been unbelievable,” said Ashley Kane, one of the event’s organizers. “People want to see this every weekend.”
PopShop Market is an open-air collection of pop-up shops, featuring displays from local merchants. Kane and her friends Andrea Espach and Kelly Scinto put together the idea over the last six months, and launched their first market in Fairfield Saturday.
About 50 vendors set up shop at the market Saturday, including clothing designers, jewelry makers, food importers and local bakers. A handful of food trucks also set up shop, and Half Full Brewery was featured at the “Bar Car” area with live music and drinks.
The vendors reported seeing “non-stop traffic” since the market’s opening at 9 a.m. Saturday. The attraction drew visitors from all over Fairfield and Westchester counties and as far as New York City, Kane said.
“We’re selling everything out,” said Cliff Pereira of Il Palio Restaurant in Shelton, who sold imported olive oils, vinegars and other food items from Italy at the market. “We didn’t expect business to be this good.”
Kane says she and her co-founders plan to hold more PopShop Markets in the future. Though they plan to stay within Fairfield County, she was not sure which town will host the next instance.
“We’re not going to decide on a location, it’s going to just pop up,” Kane said. “Just like this popped up here.”
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