The Arts Marketplace at Studio Park will open its first holiday market this November, with 24 outdoor chalets, 70 local vendors inside, and an invitation to turn Ionia Avenue into a holiday corridor.
Picture it: a late-November evening downtown, string lights glowing over rows of wooden chalets in the Studio Park Piazza, a cup of hot cocoa warming your hands while you browse hand-painted Polish pottery. Inside, dozens more of our neighbors have their work on display, and the proceeds from every purchase go back to the person who made it.
That's the scene waiting for us this season as the Arts Marketplace at Studio Park opens its first holiday market, a five-week winter village running November 18 through December 23. The idea started with a few simple goals: bring more people downtown, introduce them to the talent across Grand Rapids and surrounding communities, and make it easy for all of us to shop local this holiday season.
"Our inspiration for the holiday market was to bring more awareness to our incredible local makers in our community, and to highlight all the talent that we have in Michigan, Grand Rapids and surrounding areas," said Molly Ketchum, executive director of the Arts Marketplace.
Chalets, Fire Stations, and Holiday Films
Outside, 24 chalets will stay up for the full run of the market, filled with alpaca wear, pottery, earrings, and plenty of gift-ready finds. One belongs to Polish Pottery, a vendor from inside the Arts Marketplace. Another carries Mexico-inspired gifts from Nancy Quero of Guelaguetza Designs.
Step inside and the selection keeps going, with 70 local vendors filling the Arts Marketplace. Between the chalets and the shop floor, that's close to a hundred makers within a few steps of each other.
The market was planned with every age in mind. There's live music, a bar cart, seasonal drinks, sweet treats, and a hot cocoa bar, with outdoor fire stations for warming up between chalets. Clips from favorite holiday films play across a big screen, giving families a reason to slow down and stay a while, whether they come with a gift list or just want a night out downtown.
Where Your Money Goes
The Arts Marketplace is a nonprofit that opened in 2020 at Studio Park and is built for people taking their first steps as business owners. Makers, entrepreneurs, and startups bring in their goods, and the Arts Marketplace staffs the space and handles sales so vendors can focus on growing their businesses.
The larger goal is for our city's business owners to reflect the people who call Grand Rapids home, and new vendors are welcome year-round. That mission carries into the holiday season. "Every dollar that you spend within the Arts Marketplace goes back to these local vendors and artists and makers," Ketchum said. A pair of earrings or a piece of pottery bought here helps a neighbor keep their business growing into the new year.
A Holiday Walk Down Ionia
The market is open every Wednesday through Sunday through December 23, with extra days the week of Christmas. You'll find hours and a market map on Studio Park's Holiday Market page. Admission is free, and the kids, the grandparents, and the dog are all welcome. Park in the attached Studio Park(ing) Ramp at 120 Ottawa Ave SW, open 24 hours, and you can walk right over. Since you're already at Studio Park - dinner, a movie, or a night at the Canopy by Hilton can round out the evening.
The market is also part of the downtown social district, so you can grab a drink and carry it down Ionia to the neighboring markets. A few blocks away, the long-running Christkindl Markt brings our community out every year, and the Arts Marketplace sees its new market as a neighbor with its own character and mix of vendors. Together, the two are expected to draw more than 300,000 visitors downtown in November and December. The hope is that Ionia becomes a holiday corridor, where you can walk a stretch of downtown from one market to the next.
This year, let's start our gift lists with a walk down Ionia and see whose work we bring home.
