Market Blogger

Vendor Profile - Karen Kemp

Karen Kemp
Sowa Open Market May 16 & 17, 31 | June 21 | September 13, 27

Karen Kemp, a native of Long Island, New York, currently maintains a studio in Boston, MA. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and at the University of New Hampshire and has a BA in Art History. In 1998, Karen was trained in traditional fresco painting and restoration at Il Laboratorio Per Affresco di Vainella, in Prato, Italy, and in 2003 received a painting fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center. She has also been the recipient of several awards for her work in etching and oil painting.

Karen's artwork has become a part of private and corporate art collections, and she is currently represented by Danette Koke Fine Art in New York City and the Christopher Gallery in Stony Brook, NY.

Vendor Profile - Coco and Milkweed

Coco and Milkweed
Sowa Open Market - May 16 & 17 | June 14 | July 12 | August 9 & 23 | September 13 | October 4

Bio - We are a small, home run operation. We (Evan - dad, graphic designer, knitter, printer. Lila Maleah - stay at home mom, sewer, designer, knitter. Coco - keep 'em on their toes toddler, inspiration, test monkey) have fun working hard to make great things for little people and adults alike.

Coco's Nona also enjoys getting involved by turning out beautiful hand knit items and helping with sewing projects. We're basically a family sweatshop. : )

Our goal is to create items that are loved by children AND their parents. We take pride in the quality of our products, made one by one with love and care. We love what we do and hope you do too!

Lila Maleah, Evan, + Coco

Vendor Profile - Happy Clay

Happy Clay
The Sowa & Providence Open Markets

Niki is a ceramic artist from New Orleans, who has rebuilt her life, and studio, since Hurricane Katrina, up in the flood free zone of Pennsylvania. She has her own studio where she hand builds, create custom molds, and slip casts her own designs out of stoneware and porcelain. Niki's glazing process consists of multiple firings using a combination of glazes she mixes herself, commercial underglazes, her own custom made screen printed decals and typically finished off with a gold overglaze accent firing.

Vendor Profile - The Pebble Collection

The Pebble Collection  

The Sowa Open Market

The Pebble Collection is the work of New England based designer, Ella Salomea. Her interest in jewelry began in June 2005. By March 2006, The Pebble Collection was born. It has been her passion and obsession ever since. Her immense drive and ambition is apparent in her rapidly expanding collection and client base. The designs reflect her simple, minimalist take on life. Elegant curves, strong shapes and beautiful stones highlight her collections. Her designs are influenced by a love of nature and simple life but also a great appreciation for the city and architecture. The Pebble Collection is an environmentally conscious business and every effort is made to use eco-friendly products and techniques.

Vendor Profile - The Sharp Shirter

The Sharp Shirter
The Sowa Open Market

Sharp Shirter was founded by Dan Lachman in 2004, the same year his dad told him to stop playing videogames and do something productive with his summer. What started as a way to keep his father off his back has now blossomed into an expansive company that offers much more than just t-shirts. Now selling in 60 stores worldwide and with a range of over 100 products including laptop and ipod skins, Sharp Shirter has become a full-time job thanks to viewers like you! If you would like to contact us with questions, concerns, or just a friendly shout-out, please send an email to: sharpshirter@gmail.com