Traveler’s Street Market will be opening summer 2011! The street market is designed to bring revenue from the I-35 traffic into the hands of residents from all around the region. The street market will be located up and down 39th Street in Bethany, with easy access to the heavily used Exit 92 on I-35. This location was chosen for its high visibility from the interstate. The market will be held the second weekend of each month, beginning in July. The weekend consists of Friday, noon-7pm and Saturday, 8am-3pm. Vendors can include garage sales, flea markets, produce, retail, antiques, crafts, concessions, entertainment, fund-raising, existing businesses, etc., anyone wanting access to the interstate traffic.
Susie Rollheiser, Misty Wilczek and Emily Rollheiser have been working to establish a market for area entrepreneurs to sell their wares to travelers of I-35 as well as provide entertainment to area residents. Land for the market has been generously donated by the Patrick Miller and Bulls Eye Trading.
The mission for the Traveler’s Street Market is to be the spark for area economic growth by providing coordinated management and creative marketing of a highly visible marketplace. “We want to bring together area entrepreneurs and customers to capture revenue from outside the area and re-circulate that revenue throughout the area communities for the benefit of all area residents,” said co-organizer Susie Rollheiser.
The Traveler’s Street Market was initially started by a group of community minded people who saw the potential to use our assets of agribusiness and the traffic from I-35. Over the past 3 years, the idea for the market has developed from a Pizza Farm, to a non-profit market with a focus on education, to an indoor market. Emily Rollheiser said “we have so many ideas of how to grow and make this market a huge success and decided the time to start is now!”
The number of outdoor markets providing not only vendor goods, but entertainment is growing. Visitors are looking for a family place in which to spend the day or even weekends. Opening this type of market will allow entrepreneurs to start their own business without as much overhead and risk. This will also be a great opportunity for an additional source of income.
While the three Harrison County residents are optimistic about the start of the market, Misty Wilczek shared that “the vision for expansion depends entirely on the support and participation of the vendors and the community.” In order for this market to attract the attention of area travelers, a large volume of vendors is necessary. The group is looking to start the market with at least 50 vendors. The deadline to proceed with the market is June 27th.
The market also provides opportunities for existing businesses in the area to expand their customer base. Several area businesses have already signed up to support the market and take advantage of the interstate traffic; they currently include Bull’s Eye Trading, Doug Dale Farms, Clearance Isle, Green Hills Community Action Agency, Remmers Design, Hy-Vee, and Subway.
Vendors looking to participate can contact Emily, Misty or Susie at 660-868-2390 or email travelersstreetmarket@yahoo.com for a vendors handbook.
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