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Zac Ziegler: I'm Zac Ziegler, and you’re listening to Oregon Rainmakers from KLCC. On this edition, I talk with Shannon Lee-Hutson, General Manager of the Eugene Saturday Market and Holiday Market.
For more than 50 years, Eugene craftspeople and foodmakers have been gathering on the weekend to sell their wares downtown. The Eugene Saturday and Holiday Markets are a long-running tradition that also acts as a business incubator for the city’s creative makers. It’s a chance to sell jewelry, clothes, painting, carvings, food and much more. The only stipulation is that the goods be handmade by the seller or someone in their family who lives in Oregon.
The Saturday Market runs from April through November of each year across the street from the downtown farmers market. Then, it relocates to the Lane Event Center on the county fairgrounds in December for its weekends-long Holiday Market before taking a few months off.
As the Holiday Market went into its final weekend, I caught up with General Manager Shannon Lee-Hutson to talk about what it takes to put on the Market, whether its in downtown or at the fairgrounds.
Shannon Lee-Hutson: The Saturday Market started may 9, 1970. I know this is our 55th year, our 56th season, and we've been a very . . . we're the oldest open market in the United States, consecutive-running oldest market. So during covid, the Portland Market had to close down, and we did not, April through November on the park blocks. And then we come in here and do Holiday Market all the way untilChristmas Eve. So the only time that we're not selling anywhere is the three months, January through March. So this is the Performance Hall, the Holiday Hall.
Ziegler: With this hall, do we have going here that designates it? Is there any particular rhyme or reason to how things are sorted here?
Lee-Hutson: Well, yes. So number one, before COVID, we would share this space with the farmers market. They rented this hall, and we rented that hall. And then during COVID, the farmers market had to cancel their contract here, and so I was on the board at the time, and I said, we have to have that. So I was also a vendor, so I was the first one in this room, the first year that we did it, it was during COVID, and it was very sparse in here, and so we've been trying to fill it as we grow, and then adding the atrium and spreading out with our new map in the other room really helped develop this space much better.
Ziegler: How does running this differ from the typical Saturday Market that I will say that was one of the first things when I moved to Eugene. Actually, I was living just up the street, and it was one of the first places that I went.
Lee-Hutson: Absolutely. Well, it's on the Park Blocks come rain shine, sleet or snow, which is fantastic. And I was a vendor for quite a number of years, but when I moved to Oregon, I too- first place I went was Saturday Market with my kids, and we would sit on the grass and just marvel at all the vendors and have a plate of Pad Thai. And it was such a wonderful community that I was like, I have to get involved. And then I became a vendor. So then when I was a vendor for a number of years, the general manager at the time just came up to me and said, Okay, so I'm gonna need your candidate statement by next Wednesday. And I go, What are you talking about? And she said, It's time for you to be on the board. Is that how this works? Like we take turns? And she said, Well, I just need your candidate statement. So, you know, I turned one in, and then I got elected. I was on the board for about three years, and as board chair, we had a staffing kind of complete turnaround, right? So after COVID, it's like everybody left, and that was really crazy. We had a brand new hire and a part time office assistant left in the office. And so I said, Well, I was Board Chair, I guess I have to go in. I have keys, right? So I just started running the thing. And then we tried to hire a couple different people. We did hire somebody, and it just didn't work out. It wasn't a good fit. And so the board got together and said, Well, you just do it, you know? I said, I'll do it temporary till we can find somebody. And then, you know, I just took it, but that meant I had to be off the board. I had to no longer sell. But it's a beautiful organization. It's a great community. And I am happy to do it.
Ziegler: I’m going to break in here for a quick bit of transparency. At this moment, the batteries on my recording gear died, so we pick up the interview in progress as Shannon tells us about a new part of the Market, the vendor space in the event center’s atrium.
Lee-Hutson: We feel the atrium is a game changer, the way that the sunlight comes through and just kind of puddles in here. And everybody in here, a lot of them are new, and some of them chose the atrium because of how beautiful it is. So we have two ladies up in front who have been here forever, and they always have their booths right next to one another, and they decided this year to come into the atrium, which is brand new, we'll just walk past them. And so they love it. And there's a bunch of other vendors that have a hard time with the artificial lights of the two halls, so the sunlight is really making such a difference. Oh, sorry. This is Teddy and Christine. This is Zac from KLCC, hello. And so these are the two ladies I was talking about. They always are partners. And so they had what we call booth holder record status, which just means that they've been here for so long. They had their spaces already built into the map, but now they've tried this, and they really love it, and we believe that they'll be the new booth holder of records here in the atrium.
Ziegler: How do spots get assigned? New people come and go.
Lee-Hutson: We have an incredibly complicated point system that one, I have to say, there must have been a mathematician member years and years ago, developed, for it's all done on points. So if you are a vendor at Saturday Market, you get a certain amount of points for each Saturday you show up, and then also how many years you've been here, consistent, consecutive years. Hi, Nome, this is Nome. She was the ex Board Chair for the new one.
Ziegler: Hi. Nice to meet you.
Lee-Hutson: My vice chair got promoted to chair when I got demoted from the board and became General Manager.
Ziegler: Real quick. What's your name and what's your business here?
Nome May: My name is Nome May, and my business is Blessed Bead by Nome May.
Ziegler: So how long have you been coming to to the Market here?
May: I hate to say it, 32 years.
Ziegler: Wow!
May: Since 1993
Ziegler: I've heard from some folks that this is a big part of their business each year. Is that the case for you?
May: It's pretty significant. And most of all, it's tremendously exciting to be part of such a huge handmade marketplace. I don't think there's anything like this anywhere else in the country, where there's so much talent under one roof. It gives me chills. To me, it's my dream come true.
Ziegler: All right. Well, we'll get out of your hair. You got folks here who are looking. We'll make sure we don't get in the way of a sale.
Lee-Hutson: That is one thing that makes us very unique, is that here the maker is the seller. So when you walk around and you see these people, this is the artist, right? That does this, and he could tell you all about it. And that's what's so special, is you have a relationship with with your customer. Hi, Chuck. This is Zac from KLCC. Zac, this is Chuck.
Ziegler: Hey, nice to meet you. Mind if I stick a microphone in your face real quick? Okay, what's your name and what's your your business here?
Chuck Roehrich: Okay, hi there. My name is Chuck Roehrich.
Ziegler: You got some great art here.
Roehrich: Oh. Thank you very much. Well, the story is, briefly, I'm a New Jersey kid, and I came out here to go to college, and from New Jersey, I discovered a whole different world. I was a professional student back in the 70s, and I did a lot of different majors and stuff, and I finally ended up here at Oregon State with a BS in art. And I think they sort of fudged the requirements so they can give me a degree in something and get me out of there.
Ziegler: I resemble that remark.
Roehrich: Oh, yeah. Anyway, I couldn't pursue that, really, for a career here. So I worked for the City of Eugene for many years, and then when I got close to retirement, I pulled my paints out of the closet and started doing things again, and lo and behold, I could still do it. And the thing is, about the Holiday Market is it's kind of a trouble to get set up with all the extra lights in the things, you know. But once you get your booth here, you set it up, and you sit here, and half of Eugene goes by, you know. And you meet people that you used to work with, and they said, what you're here, you know? And it's really a lot of fun. The best part about the Market is the people that you meet here. So here I am just still not getting rich, but...
Lee-Hutson: Doing what you love.
Chuck Roehrich: Yes.
Ziegler: Awesome. Well, thanks for taking a minute to chat.
Roehrich: Oh, sure, it's been nice talking with you.
Lee-Hutson: So I'm gonna take you to see my bestie, because she's amazing. Okay, I met her when I joined the board, and she was already on the board, and- I'm gonna say this, and I don't know if you can use it- but she seemed like a ball buster. And I just am drawn to that kind of a woman. And so at first I didn't know what to think of her, and now I just can't get enough of her. This is Anna, hi. Is this a customer?
Ziegler: You're just chatting with a friend at the moment. All right, so tell me your name first off, and your business here.
Anna Lawrence: I’m Anna Lawrence. And my business is Anna's Haute Tops. And I make aprons from recycled clothing and new fabrics and a variety of styles. And my latest are the snaggle tooth family dolls. Which provide a lot of laughter, don't they?
Ziegler: Those are pretty fun. I like them. Yeah, tell me a bit about how long have you been at the Market here?
Lawrence: 18 years. This is the end of my 18th year. Next year will be the beginning of my 19th which I plan on returning. And boy, the customers have been wonderful this year. They have come out in force and are really supporting, from what I hear, a lot of small businesses. It's just been wonderful.
Ziegler: So are you just a winter market only? Are you do you do the Saturday Markets?
Lawrence: I do Saturday and Holiday and I've been on the board. I've been a volunteer for many committees, and there's just a really great way to be a part of the Market is to help give back by volunteering. It's been really rewarding.
Lee-Hutson: She's the first one on the Park Block, on her side every Saturday.
Ziegler: Boy, yeah. You like to get the first - I'm an early riser. But I'm not that early of a riser. Wow, I'm kidding.
Lawrence: I like to beat the fray. You know, it gets kind of wild with all the parking and everybody, and it's much more fun to sit back and watch people argue about parking. And it has to be arguing about parking.
Ziegler: I can imagine. So what does doing the Market, either the Holiday or the Saturday mean for your business?
Lawrence: Well, it provides a great place that's very economical to start. We're an incubator for new businesses, and to be able to have a place that you can go that's affordable, to sell your wares, and to have all that exposure, because they advertise, and we have a reputation, which is a good one, that brings people down. And the people in the Farmers Market come over and protests come through there. I mean, we're sort of the center of the city on Saturdays, and so I think it's great exposure.
Ziegler: Yeah, it's kind of a micro version of having a nice storefront on a walkable street.
Lawrence: Yeah, much more affordable.
Ziegler: Awesome. Well, thanks for taking a minute to chat with me. I will let you get back to your not-a-customer.
Lawrence: Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm going to confuse her some more.
Ziegler: I'm Zac Ziegler, and you’re listening to Oregon Rainmakers from KLCC. My conversation with Eugene Saturday Market’s Shannon Lee-Hutson continues.
Lee-Hutson: Yeah, a lot of people have been here forever. Some ,a handful now, of people have been here since the very beginning. But we also have brand new artists that come in and, you know, they kind of shake up things, and they're doing different things, and we had to address AI and 3D printing in our standards, because we didn't have any standards about that a couple of years ago. And so now we have to distinguish what is somebody's art and what is AI.
Ziegler: I can imagine that being quite a thing, because, you know, if you're operating on rules that were written in 1970, computer was probably in, like, air quotes.
Lee-Hutson: Exactly, exactly, right? Who had a personal computer? Yes. So we have to constantly look at what's happening, what's going on, and address it for our Market, where the maker is the seller, and it's really a handmade market, you know? And so that, like, they had to address sewing machines, they had to address knitting machines, right? And I go, because you're not hand sewing. Well, now we've determined that a sewing machine is a tool. This is Dani. Dani is the vice chair on the board. Dani's husband is also a food vendor, so they are like a little Market family.
Dani Marks Fife Ito: Market family, yeah
Ziegler: Awesome. Real quick. Tell me your name.
Marks Fife Ito: Sure. My name is Dani. I'm a jewelry artist. My business is Moonjelly Jewelry.
Ziegler: So tell me a bit about how you got started with this, and what the Market means for you coming to these for helping you with selling.
Marks Fife Ito: Well, yeah, I started this as just a side hobby when I was teaching full time, and then my husband got a spot in the food court here, doing his food business, the Mac. And the Market really has come to mean community for us. You know, we come here, we see all of our friends, all of our acquaintances, all of our parents' friends, and it allowed me to start selling my jewelry at a booth here. And it's been great. You know, we have two little kids, and it's pretty awesome to have a job that I can not only bring them to, but come and feel like the other vendors, the other families here are supporting me.
Ziegler: Are you both regularly set up when it's outside and in in downtown?
Marks Fife Ito: Yes, yeah, The Mac is always here, pretty much rain or shine, unless they have a couple other events they do through the year. And for me, as long as the kids are well, and me too, we're out there too. Rain or shine.
Ziegler: Well, yeah, thanks for taking a little bit of time to chat with me about this. Thank you. It was really nice talking to you. So we've got a band just getting set up here. It sounds like about to get playing. So I heard the term incubator used by Anna a couple of stops ago. What do you think this does mean for small businesses, for people, who can't afford a storefront?
Lee-Hutson: Absolutely so we are considered a small business incubator. And what I mean by that is you can come here, have a little space every week and develop your business. We have a lot of services in member services, where we can help you with that. We advertise for you. We can show you how to market. I'm going to tell you a little story here.
Ziegler: Before you do, let's get moving. Because, I mean, you know, yeah, we're gonna get drowned out by them real quick.
Lee-Hutson: So I'll tell you a little story. When I first started, I was like, I want to start my own business. I don't want to work for anybody. I want to do my own thing. And this was my dream, to be able to sell my art, right? So I started that, and I said, Well, how does one start their own business? You do research, right? You start reading everything you can. And then I just said, I'm just going to start over at Saturday. Might, see what happens. And I did that, and I went to the information booth, and I said, Hey, I'm really interested in, you know, do you have any services? And they said, well, the Caring Fund, which I'll explain to you, has just put out a grant proposal, and, like, if you want to apply for it, maybe you can get a grant. So I did. I applied for it through the caring fund. I received the grant. I wrote this essay that was absolutely the bomb, and then I was so excited. I'm like, I won. So I went to the Caring Fund. And I said, How many people did I beat out? And they're like, you're the only one that applied. I was like, Okay, I was able to go to a small business development class through Lane [Community College], right there, across from the library, their little satellite on the Caring Fund. They paid for the tuition, and that was how to build your small business. And it was so wonderful to me that community, the caring Fund is a 501, c3, that was started by the Saturday Market, and we still have our members are still running it. Hi, Sonia. So Sonia is our membership coordinator. She speaks to every single member for booking. So if you want to know anything about booking, Sonia is the one I told you. We had a very complicated point system, and I'm going to say Sonia knows it better than I do talk about booking at all.
Ziegler: Well, first off, the easy question, can you tell me your your full name.
Sonia Ostendorf: Sonia Ostendorf
Ziegler: So the main thing I'm curious about is basically, how many spots do you have here, and how many applications do you usually get for a year?
Ostendorf: Right now we have 324 booths available each weekend. Though we can have more members than that, as a lot of them booth share. So I think this weekend we have 360 members here. Applications, man, we get a lot, but we usually end the year with about 650+ members. So we do get more applications than that. We accept a lot of people. Since it's not a juried show, it's just all handmade.
Ziegler: I'm guessing you probably hear from people like, oh man, like getting that spot means a lot to my business. Is it hard to go about getting things set up, knowing that, you know, they're folks that that really rely on that, that bit of booth space?
Ostendorf: Definitely, I don't want to . . . everybody's their own individual business, small business. So I don't ever want somebody to feel like they have a lesser space and that they don't get the full experience because of what booth they got. So what's really great about this year is we have the new map, and I'm seeing way more new people get into spaces that they really would not have gotten before, just because before they may have been shoved behind a corner or kind of in an undesirable space. But this year we've had new people get in great spaces, and they just feel a lot more a part of the community.
Ziegler: So how does getting this set up compare to just the typical Saturday Markets that run nine months of the year?
Ostendorf: It is a lot different. Saturday Market, we have all year to get our stuff together, understand our routine, and this- you only have a month, which seems like a lot of time, but it really isn't. I feel like I'm just now getting in the groove of things, and it's coming to a close here soon. We only have four days left, so at Saturday Market, it feels much more routine and more paced.
Ziegler: Awesome. Well, thanks for taking a minute to chat with me a little.
Ostendorf: No problem. That was great.
Ziegler: As we kind of wander off here, is there anything we haven't talked about with the Saturday Market that that folks should know about this thing that's become just an institution for so many people that live in this community?
Lee-Hutson: Number one, my main focus since coming aboard as General Manager has been community outreach and community partnership. And we have such a great community here. But in the Register Guard, there was a cartoon in the 70s that had this picture of, like a city official in a business suit, and a woman holding a baby, like running away, and it said Saturday Market under her, City of Eugene, under him. And I have that framed in my office, which I think is really funny. So one of the first things I did was I met with the downtown manager, Eric Brown, and we signed the Park Block permit, and I gave him a copy of that comic. And I said, I know this was what it was like in the 70s and in the 80s and the 90s, and probably some of the beginning of the aughts, but we're going to change that. And so we went for coffee, and I gave him that present, and I said, we're going to become partners, and we really have. The city has been amazing, supporting through COVID. We just received a grant from the City of Eugene Waste Management to improve on our sustainability program. We got durables, and that's plates and forks that we can wash. So we have restarted our sustainability program after COVID, because we had to stop it. We couldn't take the forks and wash them. Yeah, COVID was crazy, and I think that's really special, the way that we're branching out in farther concentric community circles.
Ziegler: Right? Awesome. All right. Well, thank you very much for taking some time to show me around.
Lee-Hutson: Of course, Zac,
Ziegler: That was Shannon Lee-Hutson, the General Manager of the Eugene Saturday Market and Holiday Market. This has been Oregon Rainmakers from KLCC. I'm Zac Ziegler. Thanks for listening and Happy New Year.
