Carrboro Bazaar celebrates ninth anniversary of highlighting local artisans

Attendees crowded under vendor tents, admiring creations by local artists as a DJ played live music at the Carrboro Town Commons for The Bazaar Craft and Art Market on Sunday.

This September marks the Bazaar’s ninth anniversary. 

This year approximately 40 vendors participated in Sunday’s Bazaar, including Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Craftboro Brewing Depot and Sparkle Body Arts.

While attendees shopped, they could grab a bite to eat at three food trucks on-site — Safari Eatz, for Kenyan street food; No-Bull Streetacos, for authentic Mexican food; and Vegan Ice Cream Man. 

Meg Morgan and her husband Duncan are the event's organizers. They like to welcome diverse vendors to the market. 

“I’m so blown away by the diversity that we have at the market and just the talent,” Meg Morgan said. 

Many of the Bazaar’s vendors return yearly, which Duncan Morgan partly attributes to the event’s organization and clear instructions. 

“The feedback we want is from our vendors, and we consistently hear from them that the Bazaar is one of their favorite events that they go to, and some of them do many, many events,” he said. 

When the Morgans started the Bazaar, it was important to them that the market was an accessible place for artists to begin showcasing their work and grow in their craft.

While they said they love their returning vendors, they're always excited to see newcomers, like Jessica Brown who has been selling her crochet goods at events since March, but attended her first Bazaar on Sunday.

She has crocheted for 11 years, and what started with blankets for her four kids now includes one-of-a-kind crocheted animals and foods made from plush yarn. She mainly garners her inspiration from her kids and social media, but said that ideas for new projects sometimes pop into her mind.

She said she loved the variety of people at the Bazaar, and how big it was compared to other events.

“I’ve been to events where there’s only maybe eight vendors, and it’s just not good variety,” Brown said. “And it’s not a lot of foot traffic, but this is amazing.”

Attendees who bought a plushie from Brown could put a free bow on it, which she crocheted in front of them, personalizing the experience.

Chloe Strauss is also fairly new to the Bazaar. She became a vendor last year and sells sustainably-made pottery and stationery, along with other handmade goods like mini paintings and keychains. 

She started doing shows during the pandemic and used her art to raise money for causes like Black Lives Matter. Now, profits from her sales go to local charities and nonprofits, such as B3 Coffee, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center and TABLE. 

Strauss, a Chapel Hill native, said it’s really nice running into people she knows all the time at the Bazaar. 

“It’s very community-driven, it’s always very chill, it’s not competitive,” she said.

Community at the Bazaar extends beyond just the vendors. 

A woman was hula-hooping out on the grass, allowing people to use her extra hoops, which was a sight that attendee Riley Winkler liked to see.

Winkler doesn’t come to the Bazaar often, but in addition to the hula-hooping, she liked the music and the atmosphere. 

“I feel like I can be myself and people aren’t going to be judging me,” she said. 

The Morgans are hosting a mini Bazaar at the Carrboro Music Festival on Oct. 1 followed by the next regularly-scheduled Bazaar on Oct. 15. 

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