The Vintage Market

Formerly a gathering place for Confederate soldiers and later as barracks for Union troops, the 17th Street Farmers’ Market has always been a place for people to get together. The Vintage Market, held every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at one of the oldest markets in America, brings locals together to sell homemade antiques, collectibles and jewelry.

Seashells and Beads
“There’s always something to be made, always a moment for business,” said Margie Chism, owner of Seashells and Beads.
Chism, a retired homemaker for 20 years, started her home business of jewelry-making over two years ago. Her husband works full time and wanted Chism to have a job. Not wanting a boss, Chism decided to make her own jewelry.
In starting her business, there were many factors Chism had to take account of such as orders, expenses and taxes. She also had to put in travel time.
“A home business takes all the time,” Chism said. “There’s no clock to clock out.”
For the first two years, Seashells and Beads had a majority of losses. Chism said it’s because it takes money to start a business.
Last year, Chism would work up to 14 hours a day. This year she works about 10 hours a day. She says it’s because of better planning. Now that she sells more, she makes more.

Books for Children
Khadijah Mahdi, a teacher of English and science for a home school co-op, has been a vendor of children’s books at the market for over three years. Mahdi realized there was nothing for kids when parents took them to the market.
“The kids didn’t want to stay,” said Mahdi.
Mahdi started to bring books for the children. It started out with preschool and kindergarten books. It then grew from there.
“Now the parents can shop in peace,” said Mahdi.
In selecting her books, Mahdi follows the accelerated reading list and also
chooses books kids like to read. She sees what sells the most and pulls out the less popular books.
Teachers come to Mahdi to bring books to their students. She also helps teachers start a library for their classroom.
Mahdi has found that stories from the past like Nancy Drew books are becoming popular again and that parents prefer soft-back books instead of hard-backs. She thinks this may be because it has more of an old-fashioned look.
Mahdi says that every book has a character that kids can relate to. She encourages reading and believes books help kids go back to the basics.
Mahdi believes going back to the basics can be especially beneficial for parents that aren’t computer literate. Children are able to sit down and read with their parents.
“It gets them to think outside of the box,” said Mahdi.

Sticcellar
For two years, Mike Preusser has been carving wood for a living. A self-proclaimed tree-hugger and owner of Sticcellar, Preusser uses no live trees. He said there are so many things you can use that are already on the ground.
“I think it’s ridiculous [to use live trees] when wood is everywhere,” said Preusser. “There is no need to kill nature.”
Preusser carves many items out of wood from furniture to art pieces. He said pipes sell a lot. He also has a few funny pieces such as a wood paddle with the words “big ass paddle” carved on it.
“I’ve always found beauty in wood, so carving just came naturally,” Preusser said
on his Web site. “I get inspired by the pieces I find along the banks of the river.”