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A new market coming to CPA Park this summer will feature local vendors, food trucks and live music.
Main Street Market will take place the first Thursday of the summer and early fall months. The event will feature homemade products, educational booths from the Eudora Area Historical Society and kid-friendly activities.
Convention and Visitors Bureau President Jason Musick said Main Street Market is still in its early stages of development. However, he and the CVB board knew they wanted to create an event that highlights Eudora businesses and encourages people to shop locally.
“As CVB president, one of the challenges I saw when I came on board was that the CVB has never really had a marquee event that it could say it has owned,” Musick said. “So the idea of the market is not so much about making money. It’s about bringing awareness.”
Once the market kicks off, Musick wants to implement other local pop-up tents, like produce from home growers.
“My parents and a lot of my family have a ton of vegetables toward the end of the season,” Musick said. “So maybe it can be an opportunity for them to make a few extra bucks with that.”
CVB board member Amy DeLaRosa is in charge of the craft vendors for Main Street Market, a job close to home because she also runs her own small business called Amy DeL Designs.
“Being asked to be involved in the Main Street Market is just really up my lane, and it’s something I am passionate about,” she said.
Main Street Market does not have any vendors locked in because the CVB board is still ironing out paperwork. They should be ready to take vendor requests and submissions sometime in March, DeLaRosa said.
For DeLaRosa, Main Street Market will be a good way to attract people outside of Eudora.
“Unfortunately, we are sandwiched right between Lawrence and the metro area, but we have lots of great things here at home,” DeLaRosa said. “So trying to bring people in to experience what we have to offer is what we are trying to do with this market.”
The CVB board is also using Main Street Market as a way to celebrate and recognize Eudora’s history. Musick has ideas of involving the Haskell Indian Nation dance team and celebrating Eudora’s German roots in October.
“Even though Eudora is going to grow, we are still focused on that small town feel, and we are still focused on our community,” he said.
For Chamber of Commerce and CVB member Holli Joyce, maintaining Eudora history is just as important as shopping locally.
“The whole idea of the market is to get people downtown to see not only the history, but also the retail and the businesses that Eudora has to offer,” Joyce said.
Because the market is set to be in CPA Park and take up a section of Main Street, Musick and the CVB board have had to work alongside the city.
“I am very encouraged to see that the city wants something like this to happen, and they want to be supportive,” Musick said.
Musick hopes the market location will also get more customers inside the businesses on Main Street.
“I was kind of adamant about this market being on Main Street because we want to grow it,” Musick said. “We are looking at some ways to encourage people to shop at the market, but then also venture down the street and shop at all the other local establishments.”
Right now, the CVB board is working on getting a permit that would allow people to sell and consume alcohol in a designated area of the park.
Down the road, Musick said the market could feature local breweries and wineries.
Reserving a space to be featured in the Main Street Market will cost around $25 to $30, Musick said. Those interested in being a part of Main Street Market can contact the CVB board at [email protected].
Reach reporter Camryn Robbinson with more business news at [email protected].
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