Special Event: Firefly Handmade Market
WRITTEN BY ANNIE BLOJ // CULTURE & STYLE EDITOR
There’s nothing quite like strolling through an outdoor market, enjoying the chill in the air with a cup of something warm to get you in the holiday spirit. To kick off the season, Firefly Handmade Markets will be hosting their annual Holiday Market on Old Gaylord Street in Washington Park the weekend of November 20th and 21st. Owned and operated by women since 2010, this thoroughly curated market returns with the opportunity of discovery. Over eighty local artisans gather this year to showcase their talents- from woodworking and homewares to bourbon and puzzles; this is not your typical seasonal market. We had the opportunity to sit down with owner Beth Pomerantz to discuss market life and catch a glimpse of the many details that go on behind the scenes.
Annie Bloj: Beth, how did Firefly Handmade Market come into your life?
Beth Pomerantz: Firefly was a market that had been operating in Boulder for a couple of years and had established a very good reputation. In 2012 I had the good fortune to meet the owners and was unexpectedly offered the chance to acquire the business. My career has been in marketing, advertising, and events, but I’m also an artist. So with both my business and creative skills, it was an exciting opportunity. I believed I could build on Firefly’s reputation and maximize the potential from the growing interest in the maker movement and artisan handmade goods. The ultimate goal was to create more opportunities for artisans to market and sell their goods to the Front Range communities, and it is the most rewarding aspect of Firefly.
AB: Being an artist yourself, it must be amazing to get to work closely with local artisans and support them directly. What has been your favorite part about running this market?
BP: It’s exciting, inspiring, and fulfilling to work in our incredible creative community! I love their stories and appreciate the opportunity to introduce artisans and their craft to our audience. We ask that the artisans be present at our markets to engage with our audience, and be able to share their stories -- how they started, who they learned from, what inspires them, and what they do day-to-day to keep going. I’m committed to doing my best to help them grow their businesses.
AB: How Important is your Curation process?
BP: Extremely important! It’s something that really sets Firefly apart. For each market, we evaluate hundreds of applicants and jury their products and presentation to achieve the right mix of creatives for the audience for the community in which each of our events is held. Our jury carefully evaluates every applicant, their product offerings, website, social media, booth presentation, and more, to reach a consensus on accepted applicants. Our objective of having at least 20% of each market consist of new artisans, and market curation is critical. To keep shoppers coming back, we have to keep our markets exciting and interesting with returning artisans who people love and always a strong group of new artisans. That’s one of the reasons we have such a strong following.
AB: How do you see Firefly evolving in the future?
BP: This past year has allowed us to step back and examine what we wanted to keep and what we wanted to change as a market. We have always pivoted to support our artisans and give our guests the most unique and truly useful experience we can. We know that there are a lot of options out there, so we are always looking to better connect with the community and build awareness. I think Colorado offers the perfect landscape for our handmade markets because we understand the importance of supporting local makers and what this ultimately means to our community. Particularly during the time of this pandemic, with so many brick and mortar retail businesses closing or struggling, whatever we can do to offer new opportunities and channels for our artisans to market their goods is a high priority.
Photos courtesy of Urban Life Wash Park