'One-of-a-kind' market | Local | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Artisanal beef jerky, large handmade clocks, specialty teas, Christmas tree ornaments, clothes and more were on display Saturday during the third annual Le Chic Holiday Market.

Holiday shoppers crowded into the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the market, which brought more than 120 vendors from five states. Karen Brandt, the market's organizer, took over Le Chic three years ago. Brandt transformed it from a twice-a-year event called the Le Chic Vintage Market to an annual holiday market. It is held the first weekend after Thanksgiving every year.

“Our goal is to get items that we feel are unique, that would apply to a whole array of different shoppers and we want people to feel warm and welcome when they come in,” Brandt said, adding that the market has become something of a Fort Wayne holiday tradition.

Vendors came from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Texas, Brandt said.

Among the more prominent vendors was Sky Outfitters, an Indianapolis clothing company with a mission beyond mere profitability.

Founded by Taylor University graduate Keaton Hendricks, Sky Outfitters donates a beanie, scarf or pair of socks to a homeless shelter for every item purchased. This month, the company is partnering with the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission.

Hendricks said he started Sky Outfitters as a college student in 2016. Growing up in Bloomington, Hendricks said he volunteered at a homeless shelter and learned that socks were among shelters' most sought-after items. Hendricks graduated college in 2018 and moved to Indianapolis.

“That just lingered with me and as a marketing student, we had a 'Shark Tank' pitch at our school, where I saw a ton of kids wearing all kinds of crazy socks at Taylor,” he said. “I kind of put that together and we initially started as a sock company with a buy one, give one.”

Hendricks said Sky Outfitters partners with shelters across the country, noting that Sky Outfitters has moved from just socks into hats and scarves. The hope, he said, is to eventually offer all of the items homeless shelters typically need.

Hendricks said he found out about the Le Chic Holiday Market through Facebook and thought it would be a good fit for his company.

“Since our partnership with Fort Wayne is going on this month, we wanted to have a presence here that wasn't just online,” he said.

Customers can buy items or donate directly through the company's website, skyoutfitters.com, Hendricks said.

According to the company's website, as of Saturday evening, Sky Outfitters had raised 1,148 of 4,000 pairs of socks, 227 of 600 beanies and 125 of 300 scarves.

For those whose cup of tea is literally a cup of tea, Teajutsu's booth offered an array of aromas and flavors to suit any palette. A regular at the Fort Wayne Farmer's Market, Michelle Nichols said Teajutsu, based in Waterloo, first participated in the Le Chic Holiday Market two years ago.

“It was a very good event for us,” Nichols said. “We actually got wiped out on Friday night and we had to go back and put more product together to be back on Saturday. It was a good problem to have.”

The company started with about 20 blends, but now offers more than 60 at various markets and more than 200 at teajutsu.com, Nichols said.

Nichols, who has a background in chemical engineering and food production, said she got her start making tea for Teajutsu by helping a friend.

She took over the business in late 2015.

“We have a lot of repeat customers who come and find us,” she said. “We love it.”

Brandt said the Le Chic market has always been a fun way to shop for the holidays.

“I wanted a place where somebody could come and buy something for themselves, but also knock some things off their list,” she said. “So, that's what we do.”

In the past, about 3,000 people have come to the two-day market, Brandt said. Attendance figures were not yet available for this year's show as of Saturday afternoon.

“It's unique, one-of-a-kind stuff you're not going to find at big box stores or at the mall,” Brandt said. “People really like to shop local and support local and that's what this is.”

dgong@jg.net

2019-12-08 06:04:20Z
https://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20191208/one-of-a-kind-market