ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking to start their Christmas shopping will soon have a perfect opportunity to do just that thanks to the Baker Arts Center.
Baker Arts Center will be hosting another Merry and Bright Market, and Baker Arts Director Brittyn Heronemus said there is a lot to be excited about.
“This year will mark Baker Arts Center's second annual Merry & Bright Pop-up Market, and it's a play on the French Market the Baker Arts Center used to host. At the French Market, there would be a lot of people gathered together, and there would be a lot of baked goods and artisan crafts on sale, and the building would be filled top to bottom with those artists and vendors, and it would take place over a weekend. We have taken that to the next level and with the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market, and that will be going on from Nov. 29 through Dec. 13. With the market being a more extended event, those artists and vendors don't have to stand around all day and wait and wait to sell their inventory – they can bring their inventory to Baker Arts Center, and our fantastic team will set everything up and manage the inventory and keep track of everything, and that inventory can be rotated/replenished as needed throughout the length of the market. Last year, we had a wide variety of baked goods like cookies and breads and cakes, etc., and we also had booths for artisan jewelry and embroidery and bags/purses, and we also had some art on sale for people to look at and/or buy.”
Heronemus said when it comes to vendors, the more, the merrier.
“We currently have 13 artists committed to being part of this year's Merry & Bright Pop-up Market, and we'll gladly accept more artists and vendors,” Heronemus said. “We're excited to be opening on Black Friday, which is the beginning of the holiday shopping season, and we're excited to see everything that ends up being in Baker Arts Center for that market. We're essentially taking our tiny gift shop and bringing it out into the whole gallery for people as a full shopping experience. To add to all of that, on Dec. 6, we'll be hosting an open house event, and for that event, we'll be inviting Tortuga Brewery, the new brewery in Liberal, to come and serve some of their product, and there will also be a light meal next door that will be put together by our board, and then after the meal, people can come in and maybe do a little shopping. With all of that, I feel like that should be a great evening for everyone, and we're excited to be supporting the brewery as another local small business.”
Heronemus added planning for the event has been going on for a long time already.
“This time around, we wanted to be more inclusive for everyone, so we are going to be open seven days a week. We had shorter shopping hours last season, but we will be extending all of that this year and having some late nights for people whose work schedules aren't the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” Heronemus said. “We want as many eyes in the Baker Arts Center as possible to see all the different crafts and everything else that will be in here. We're also looking to incorporate some family nights into the market, we've got some carolers who will be coming in a couple nights and providing some festive music, and we're also talking about working with some local non-profits to have some other special nights. The main factor we wanted to focus on was supporting local artists, because that is the absolutely best part of this. We had somewhere between 13 and 18 artists for last year's Merry & Bright Pop-up Market last year, and we're hoping to maybe double that for this year, that would be amazing.”
With there still being some time before the event, Heronemus offered encouragement for local artists and vendors to get signed up to participate.
“The most unique part about the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market is you don't have to actually be at Baker Arts Center to sell your stuff – our staff sells your inventory for you, advertises everything, etc., and at the end of the year, you get a check for however much you ended up selling. We really can't make it any easier than that for vendors. I remember spending many years with my parents at multiple vendor fairs, and it's physically and mentally exhausting depending on where the event is. But with the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market, we do all the hard work and all the hustling for you, so in a way, you actually get a bit of a break. Another unique thing about the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market is you will get to access a whole new group of people you might not have met before, and we love helping people connect. There is also no rent or booth fee or anything you need to pay in order to be part of the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market – I know with a lot of vendor fairs and similar events, there's some type of rental/booth fee that has to be paid up front, but with this event, we want to help the artists keep money in their pocket, so we don't require any deposit or booth fee, which makes it easier for us and the artist(s).”
Spreading the word about the event, Heronemus said, is just another task among many for her and the Baker Arts Center staff.
“We're doing all of our normal marketing/advertising on our social media pages, but we're also going to be out more in the public, there are a few upcoming events we're planning to visit so we can let people know about the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market coming up,” Heronemus said. “We are definitely not being silent about this event, we want as many people as possible to come and visit the Baker Arts Center and see everyone and everything that will be part of it. I'm really excited about the new artists we'll be helping showcase. We have some artists who will be returning for this year's event as well as some new artists we haven't yet had the pleasure of working with, and we're really looking forward to seeing everyone. We've reached out to artists not just in Kansas, but also Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and I think even New Mexico, so we're spreading the word about this pretty far. And what's great about the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market is all of the gifts will be unique, this isn't stuff you'd be able to buy at Walmart or some other big box store, which I also really love. I love how we're incorporating some extras throughout the length of the market, and I feel like this event will really help people get into the holiday spirit and help bring people together.”
Heronemus also offered encouragement for potential entertainers to get in touch with her or her staff.
“We would absolutely love to have more entertainment and other fun on the calendar for those three weeks, so if you are interested AT ALL, please get in touch with us by phone at (620) 624-2810, by email at
Overall, Heronemus said, she hopes this year’s Merry & Bright Market will be a huge success.
“I'd love to see us have more artisan jewelry vendors and printed t-shirts and other similar items, those are a couple things we didn't see very much of last year. I'd also like to see handmade tumblers and other crafts be showcased, because I know there are some people who do that work, and I'd also LOVE to see more paintings and artwork because how amazing would something like that be as a Christmas gift?” Heronemus said. “We will definitely be busy these next weeks, because we've got a show we'll be bringing in in October, and then after that show's done, that's when we'll go fully into transforming mode for the Merry & Bright Pop-up Market and making the Baker Arts Center a completely festive and fun shopping space. I would love to see anyone and everyone come out and join us, and if anyone has any question, they are more than welcome to get in touch with us and we'll be happy to help them.”
