Art on a Dime: How to enjoy and support the arts while on a budget.
by Kitty Hibbs, SWCA Volunteer
Saturday, September 18, 2010

The day began disappointingly gray but the air was balmy, the streets still dry, and adventure beckoned. So armed with camera and notebook, I took off for the Farmer's Market in downtown Vancouver. My goal was to meet and talk to a few of the local artisans, take in the colors, sounds and tempting aromas, and return home with some fresh produce and (hopefully) a trinket or two.

As I locked my car and turned toward the park, tiny wet spots dotted the concrete. By the time I entered the open-air market they had congregated into a cool drizzle. I took cover under a large tree close to a sound stage protected by a canvas tent-top. A couple of 40-something guys were sending bluesy licks and smooth messages of love into the now muggy atmosphere. As I was settling in, the music stopped and guys unstrapped their instruments. I realized I had just heard the last cords of the set. A little bit bummed out and not wanting to face the weather quite yet, I glanced around and noticed a woman seated close by who was exchanging a few words with one of the guitarists. Seeing my opening, I introduced myself and told her I used to be married to a musician. "Are you related to the band? I asked. "Yes," she nodded; and since I wasn't going anywhere until the rain subsided we chatted for a while.

It turned out that I was talking to the wife of Bob Sanderson, one of the two Bobs in "The Bobs of Wrath." The other Bob, last name: Hines, and Sanderson have been performing together at the Farmer's Market for three or four years. The guys perform original work and standard favorites at Farmer's Market and at a number of other gigs around town; including One World Market, Top Shelf, and the Clark County Fairgrounds, among others. They get pretty good tips but what keeps them playing this gig is the number of CDs they are able to sell. When the "Bobs" got back to business I sat for a while longer to listen. I would describe their music as eclectic, leaning towards country jazz, blues and blue grass; a perfect sound for this slightly-too-damp-for-outdoors day. When the rain let up, I decided to try my luck at bargain hunting.

With much restraint I bypassed the many food stands that offer up a mouth-watering variety of ethnic foods and pastries. As I walked on I was attracted to the exotically decorated booth of Mary Lee of "Shiva Designs." In between customers, I found out that Mary has been selling fanciful, bead and silver, "fit for a goddess" jewelry creations at the Farmer's Market for nine years. She told me she used to have a day job until about year ago, when she was laid off. Viewing the experience as an opportunity, Mary decided she would not try to look for another job and instead, make a living off her art. Since that day, she has never looked back. Mary now has a number of regular customers who buy from her booth here, and she also sells her work in Portland.

Next door to Mary I found Tom. Tom loves what he does, which is make and sell silver jewelry (lots of it) at antique and craft shows and at the Farmer's Market. Tom told me he specializes in volume and customer service, especially customer service. Says Tom, "In this economy, if you're not doing customer service, you're a fool." and Tom's no fool. He makes and sells what continuous success tells him his customers want, including "goth-like" designs and antique "Art Nouveau" reproductions. By the number of people gathered at his booth while I was there, I would say his strategy works; and by the "Rock Salt Fairy" pendant I could not resist purchasing, I can attest to the quality of his craftsmanship.

A few booths away from Tom was "Nancy Whitman Jewelry." (About this time, I was starting to wonder if I was in the wrong business. What is it about jewelry that was working here? Could it be that it's portable...priced right..makes a great gift...or maybe that it's rainproof? Hmmm.) Nancy's been a silver-smith for twenty years and she designs and crafts beautiful pieces that combine semi-precious gem stones with silver. A little more expensive, her high-quality and high-value work draws clients from all over, even as far as Hawaii where she lived and worked for nine years before returning in 2001 to the Port/Van area where she grew up. She had her own shop for a while in Vancouver but closed it in 2006 and now sells exclusively at the Farmer's Market or by appointment from her home.

Besides jewelry at the Vancouver Farmer's Market, I found colorful fresh flower arrangements and produce (of course); attractive gift baskets; art prints; decorative pottery, and other handmade wares such as the painted boxes and fabric floor art by "KM Designs," owned by Marianne Stein. Marianne is totally involved with the arts. "All kinds" she said, including something called "needle felting" which she was doing when I walked up. Marianne started her own art business a year ago with her daughter, a talented music and art student, wanting to earn money for college. Marianne also owns and operates a natural skincare products business called Gifts from the Earth. An added bonus of being an entrepreneur, Marianne told me, is that she has the time and flexibility to home-school her son, who is also involved in the arts, with children's theater.

Most of the artists I spoke with have regular customers, and about half told me they have not noticed any change in the amount of sales since the start of the recession. Even in these hard economic times, most do not have "day jobs" and are not "starving artists". Instead, they have chosen to adapt to the times by downsizing their standard of living and keeping their prices competitive so they can devote their time and creative efforts to their art. It's what they do well and what they love; and from what I could see, for the quality, their prices are very reasonable.

Except for the musicians, all the artists I spoke to work from home and have little or no overhead. Most have a family business, with spouses or children helping in some way. Tom works with his nephew. He told me he hires family because "If someone's going to steal from you, it might as well be a relative. That way you keep [the wealth] in the family."

It's Tom's kind of character and wit, as well as the talent, skill, and obvious love that goes into the work of all the creative artists I met that Saturday, that makes the Vancouver Farmer's Market such a culturally interesting, affordable and enjoyable way to spend a day off.

The Vancouver Farmer's Market (at Esther Short Park, between Sixth and Eighth Streets) will continue through October 31. The east-side location is in the Evergreen School District ASC parking lot (at 13501 NE 28th Street—follow the signs!) Hours are Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Second Annual Holiday Market will run Sundays, December 5, 12 and 19, from 10 am - 4 pm, at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Vancouver.

Artists wishing to rent a booth at the Market (about $40 a day) should contact the VFM Art Committee co-chair, Mary Lee, at shiva@pacifier.com.

Photography: Kitty Hibbs © 2010 SWCA