Craftworks abound-in city of artisans
There had been nothing like it
since the old Farmer’s Market
closed in the 1950s. Downtown
Eugene was bustling with activity.
People could be found browsing
through the small stalls, sampling
fresh produce and handling
hand-made crafts that filled nearly
every inch of the parking plaza ac
ross from the Lane County Court
house.
Once little more than an idea,
this gathering place for young and
old, artisans and craftspeople in
By KEVIN HARDEN
Of the Emerald
downtown Eugene has become
an institution which attracts
crowds every Saturday from May
till December, rain or shine.
In its seventh year, the Eugene
Saturday Market has been consi
dered the largest outlet for area
craftworkers who fill its 225 eight
foot square vendor stalls week
after week with handmade,
homegrown and often unique
products.
The market began in May, 1970
with 29 vendors and rainy
weather. Three main factors
brought the market into existence:
a large number of artisans and a
lively interest in buying and using
local crafts (as shown by the suc
cess of annual Christmas craft
sales), an abundance of local pro
duce and no downtown outlet
since the closure of an old
Farmer’s Market in the 1950s and
a dying downtown in need of re
vitalizing.
Today, however, Eugene is
brimming with outlets for local
craftspeople. Besides the Satur
day Market, three other markets
specializing in homegrown and
handcrafted products have made
Eugene a craftperson's paradise.
The Fifth Street Public Market,
a two-year-old venture located
just north of downtown, offers an
indoor shopping plaza complete
with restaurant, dozens of vend
ing booths selling everything from
macrame to original scenic
photography and constant enter
tainment by local musicians and
singers.
The Jefferson Elevator, a grain
elevator-turned-marketplace at
Third Avenue and Jefferson
Street which began almost a year
ago, offers shoppers many of the
same products, from tie-dyed
baby clothing and old-fashioned
photography to an ice cream par
lor, while providing another* outlet
for area craft work.
The newest craft center, Made
In Oregon (located across from
the Fifth Street Public Market),
opened in April and provides a
marketplace for some 60 local
craftspeople who specialize in
handmade furniture and fixtures.
According to Pat Cross, co-owner
of the shop, Made In Oregon
began because of a need for a
large retail space for handcrafted
furniture.
Cross and her husband had
been selling tables, chairs and ac
cessories in a stall at the Saturday
Market for about six years but
found that to be inadequate. The
craftspeople working out of their
own shops sell furniture through
the store. Made In Oregon is still in
the building stages and crafts
people from all over the state have
been invited to take advantage of
the selling space, Cross said.
While established craft workers
use the various retail outlets to sell
their wares, Eugene citizens with
a crafty itch will have dozens of
summer arts and crafts classes
from which to choose.
(Continued on Page 11)
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Photo by Adrienne Safcnger
Regular attractions at the Saturday Market include wandering musi
cians who serenade shoppers inspecting handcrafted objects. The
market has become a large part of the atmosphere that flavors Eugene