Mark Baratelli, Editor
July 18, 2010
I attended opening day of the Neon Forest Arts & Crafts Bazaar July 18, 2010. This weekly market (Sundays 9am-4pm) is timed to go up against the 'burb-tastic Lake Eola Farmers Market*** Though the sun sweat-ringed us all, the merchants I spoke with were excited about the new spot (despite the $30 fee) and even more excited about the coming Fall's lower temps. I say they move the bazaar to the evenings and avoid the heat issue altogether. I say the same thing about that sweat-fest Bastille Day in Audubon Park last week.
This Neon Forest bazaar is in a hidden parking lot behind the gallery in South Downtown (SoDo) and the booze bar is inside the gallery, along with potties and whatever current show they have hung that week. Craft fair, art show, and a bar. Come on, what could be better? Sipping a Vodka Diet while chatting it up with artisans is not a bad way to spend a Sunday, even if I do have to do it with Publix-brand women's deoderant running down my KMart undershirt. We'll see if they can drag the Mommies away from Lake Eola to do some shopping and the Crafty Audubonnies to do some selling as the months go on to fill the space out.
Balloons make everything better
The gallery is as nondescript as a dentist's office on the outside, but full of awesome on the inside.
The view walking into the bazaar from the parking lot next door.
Vintage & Studs business cards and skittles. They sell on Etsy (we tried to find their shop but couldn't) and will be doing screen printing women's tops soon to accompany their studded jackets and purses. And oh God they have a fantastic gold bead necklace you gotta get from them. It looks vintage but its brand new and handmade.
We talked to this artist about a possible future Mobile Art Show, but she's super-busy showing at places like PomPoms.
Thats her on the right. I love her stuff. The one on the left is more of a curator, selling cute stuff she finds along her journeys.
This is a collective of MFA art students. They sell prints done using, oh crap I forget the word. Its not screen printing. Crap. It was interesting, too.
The fine folks at Lure Design were on hand with their lovely screen printed posters, cards and gift tags. They recently showed at the New York Stationary Show.
***Good God someone needs to put that Lake Eola Farmers Market mess to rest or at least wrestle it from the producer the city hired to run it. Lovely surroundings in an urban environment, but the place looks like an elementary school fundraiser. If (some select) locals think homeless people being fed by Food Not Bombs makes the park unattractive, they need to see the Lake Eola Farmers Market, the Wal Mart of Orlando's farmers markets. That is unnattractive.