On Tuesday at the lower field of the Dr. Daniel Fisher house, the Edgartown Village Market opened for their first week of the summer. Hosted by Zach Pinerio and Grace Romanowsky, the market is presented by the Vineyard Preservation Trust in partnership with the Edgartown Board of Trade.
Ms. Romanowsky sat at a table greeting people and selling Edgartown Village Market merchandise.
“We really try to curate a well-rounded balance so everyone has their own avenue to shine.” Ms. Romanowsky said.
Next to the merchandise tent, Darby Patterson and Sam Rothberg performed live music, while kids danced in the grass and people sat under shade trees.
Marina and Chris Stam, owners of Wicked Burger, said the market is a good way for them to meet other vendors.
“It’s nice to explore the community of Martha’s Vineyard a little bit more and to get to know the people behind the businesses,” Ms. Stam said. “We never meet anyone because we’re working so much, so this is a nice meet and greet network.”
While people enjoyed Wicked Burgers and Pocket Dogs, the four legged customers headed over to the “Dog Bar” to enjoy water and biscuits at MV Barkery. A lucky few dogs were treated to pup cups from Katie Polischuk, who said her favorite customer of the day so far was a golden retriever named Monty.
Aside from the dogs, Ms. Polischuk said she enjoys interacting with all the people.
“I love that all the other vendors and everybody are just really friendly. It’s a really nice environment,” Ms. Polischuk said.
Owned by Edie Prescott, MV Barkery aims to support adults with autism and other neurodiverse people with employment. Ms. Prescott bakes the dog treats at home with her son Henry, who has autism and is the inspiration behind MV Barkery.
Kati Johnsen, owner of Ama Nomad, displayed her new collection of tea towels called The Fishwife, inspired by 16th- and 17th-century wives of fishermen. In addition to making clothes, Ms. Johnsen is a fisherwoman herself. Her favorite part of showcasing her items at the market is interacting with all the people and vendors.
Although she sells her items on the Island, she spends three months in India each year making the clothes and tea towels with local women.
“I come up with colors for a collection and I decide what kind of technique I want to do,” she explained. “Then when I get to India I work with the block printers. It takes about three weeks to make each individual block.”
Across the lawn, Amy Nevin and Marie Zaccagi paired up to sell pottery and jewelry. Ms. Nevin creates the handmade pottery and Ms. Zaccagi makes jewelry pieces with wire wrapped stones.
For Ms. Zaccagi, this was her first time at the Edgartown Village Market. She said her favorite part is helping people find a jewelry piece that really connects with them.
A few business owners mentioned the difficulties of being a small business on the Island.
Everett Hazelton, the founder of his flip flop brand Yellowlegs, said the hardest part for him as a small business is doing it all on his own.
“On one hand you’re your own boss so you have no one to answer to...but when you do everything, it’s hard,” he said. “Everything is handmade so when you’re doing every single step there’s a lot that goes into it.”
Lydia Fischer, owner of the Garden Farm, echoed similar difficulties in running a business by herself.
“As a solo farmer, it can sometimes be hard because I can’t work if I’m sitting here selling radishes or whatever, however the vibes here are so nice,” she said. “It’s really nice to be here and be meeting new faces.”
The Edgartown Village Market takes place every Tuesday through Sept. 1 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.
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