Hub City Maker’s Market is a monthly event held in Hattiesburg, meant to support local artists and the local economy. It takes place on Feb. 2 this month.

Hub City Maker’s Market takes place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in Town Square Park every first Saturday of the month. The market aims to support the community and local economy by providing local artists with a way to sell their art to the public.

Maker’s Market is organized by Airship 67, a local steampunk collective that aims to support South Mississippi artists by providing a family-friendly atmosphere to sell their handmade creations.

“This year we are going to have more activities and crafts for children. We have several different crafts planned with a Valentine’s Day theme for this month’s market,” Airship 67’s Elizabeth Hollingsworth said. “We will have a few volunteers available to teach crafts and help as needed. We also try to provide live entertainment whenever possible. This month we will have Joey 5, a full-time magician from Mobile.”

Crocheting, pottery, woodworking, leatherworking and plenty more skills can be seen at Maker’s Market with artists coming from all backgrounds. Demos are shown throughout the day at Maker’s Market. Bill Anderson is a potter and vendor who prepares for weeks at a time for each Maker’s Market.

“I wanted to be a part of the art community as much as I could, and the Maker’s Market helps with that,” Anderson said. “I was selling my pieces at another event in Hattiesburg, and the [Maker’s Market] organizers told me that they were starting it and what their plans were for the market. I was on board immediately. The art vendor numbers have grown since the beginning, and it’s great.”

Around 30 artists have signed up for the February Maker’s Market with the cost of running a booth being $20 or $35 depending on size. Artists can range from 11-year-olds to retirement age with Maker’s Market actively encouraging artists from all walks of life to participate. The owner of Angie’s Crocheting Corner Angelia Snowden has been a crochet artist for 19 years and has lived with PTSD since the Hattiesburg tornado in 2017.

“I crochet for a living because of epilepsy and not being deemed as ‘disabled enough’ to qualify for SSI,” Snowden said. “I’m thankful to be able to crochet for a living. The epilepsy and PTSD really make it hard for me to function sometimes. Working from home and at my own pace is so worth it.”

Apart from being family friendly, Maker’s Market is also pet-friendly and will remain open unless there is severe or dangerous weather. Hub City Maker’s Market will be held again on the second Saturday in March due to scheduling conflicts.

Pictures from previous Hub City Maker’s Markets and information about the artists who help make it happen can be found on the Hub City Maker’s Market Facebook page.