The Durham Craft Market 20 Year Anniversary
If you've ever enjoyed a weekend exploring downtown Durham, you've probably stumbled across the Durham Craft Market. Each Saturday in Durham Central Park, a rotating group of talented local makers and artisans operates alongside our wonderful friends at the Durham Farmers Market, in the field next to the farmers market pavilion.
The DCM is the Bull City's longest running weekly art Market, and I've been a member since 2022. This month, the Durham Craft Market is celebrating 20 years of operation, and I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate what I love about this market, and to thank the artists that went before me.
Above: I'm so grateful to the folks who put in the work 20 years ago to build this art market into what it is today. The Durham Craft Market has allowed myself and countless other small business to generate a steady income for our families through our artwork, and find community among our fellow entrepreneurs.
Here's what makes being an artist at the DCM incredible:
The Clients: The clients at the DCM each week are this great mix of locals, who we see nearly every week and get to know on a personal level, and also visitors from out of town. From a business perspective, getting fresh eyes on your work is so important, but it's also important to show up for your existing customers, and this market allows me to do both. My favorite thing is when a client has guests visiting from out of town, and they bring them by the market. I get a lot of-- "remember that little trillium print I gave you for Christmas-- Katie's the artist that did that!" or "You know the wallpaper in my half bathroom at the new house? Katie designed that!" It's such an honor to get to welcome your guests as they pass through Durham, and to be a small part of making their trips memorable.
The Colleagues: I travel around and work a ton of art shows as part of this job. There are often hundreds of vendors, and set up/break down can often have some "hunger games-- race for the cornucopia" vibes. We might get chatty with our booth neighbors, but we don't really get to know everyone there. The Durham Craft Market could not be more different. I think of my fellow DCM artists as my work colleagues. This market is such a great incubator for small businesses, and we really support each other. For example, when I was ready to hire my first staff member for NSPH, I reached out to Doreen from Dooraceramics to get advice on how she approached making the leap from solo creative to employer. Similarly, when I'm thinking about working a show and want to know if it's worth my time, my friends at pflora metal arts are sure to have a recommendation. I really value my relationships with my fellow DCM members, because it truly feels like we're all rooting for each other and celebrating our creative wins together.
The Vibes: The atmosphere at the Durham Craft Market passes every vibe check there is. Cool, friendly people? Check. Cute, well behaved dogs? Check. Client kids that you get to watch grow with each season? Check. Customers snacking on delicious fresh produce, and carrying bouquets of farm fresh flowers? Check and check.
If you're local, and haven't been out to the Durham Craft Market yet, I'd encourage you to come join us. We're celebrating our anniversary with a Spring Fling Market on May 3rd, 2026 but we're also out there each Saturday, so come by when it works for you.
And, if you're reading this from out of town, but just want a list of great NC makers, you can click on this page to discover new artists that you can connect with online.
Resources:
For more information, visit the Durham Craft Market.