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Fashion Thu Oct 03 2013
Dose Market Now a Weekly Event
Photo by: Caroline Dixie.
Around two years ago stylist and blogger April Francis and a couple of her well-connected friends created Dose Market, and it instantly became one of the best places to buy artisan goods from local crafters and small businesses every month. Dose, unlike competitors such as Renegade Craft Fair, offers both new and old treasures and doesn't limit itself to just clothes or home goods--you might take home a vintage rug and a bag of gourmet chocolate or a designer dress and handmade kitchen utensils. Not to mention, some of the vendors sell items at the market that they don't sell anywhere else.
But the bazaar hit a snag when Francis' aforementioned friends Heather Sperling, Jessica Herman and Emily Fiffer, left the company last year.
"I was and still am glad to give credit to the three women for their contributions," Francis says, "but Dose is about the work the Dosers do and about delighting shoppers, it is not about the organizers and never has been for me."
Some restructuring was in order, and Francis made good use of the year off that ensued.
Now, the market has a new home within Wicker Park's Chop Shop at 2033 W. North Ave., and Mckenzie Mahar joined the operation as the curator. Most notably, the market pops up weekly through December 15 rather than monthly, giving them the opportunity to offer four times the amount of local goods to four times the amount of people.
The inaugural market, or "Dose Redux," kicked off their fifth season on Sunday, September 29. Markets each have their own name, and therefore their own theme. "Get Lucky" takes place on October 6 and "Hello Gorgeous" on November 3. This time around, vendors were asked to pay a $20 application fee due to the tremendous amount of interest.
Despite setbacks, Francis has never strayed from the market's original mission.
"Those who are chosen to sell at Dose all provide exceptional product and, we think, have a great shot at becoming much bigger businesses with a much wider audience," Francis says of Dose's benefit. "For these nascent entrepreneurs and artisanal makers, Dose is a testing ground and very often an important part of their retail models."
Dose Market, 2033 W. North Ave., is open 10am to 5pm every Sunday. Tickets are $5. For more information, follow Dose on Twitter or visit their website.
Carl / October 3, 2013 1:12 PM
Thanks for letting me know that Dose is back. Love this!!