Livermore Downtown's Makers Market

Photo credit: Livermore Downtown

CAMSA Quarterly | Summer 2021
By: Abby Armato, Communications Coordinator, Main Street America

May 2020 would have marked the 29th anniversary of Livermore Downtown’s Annual Street Fest. When the pandemic hit, Livermore Downtown pushed this popular annual event back to August 2020, only to have to cancel entirely once summer came. The Main Street program gave the local artists, makers, and crafters who had signed up to be a part of 2020 Street Fest a choice; they could request a refund or roll their participation fee over to the 2021 Festival (and cross their fingers the show could go on then).

Fortunately, many makers chose to roll their fee over.

“That was a blessing, and we so appreciated it,” said Livermore Downtown in an announcement on their blog. 

Committed to creating an event to support the makers who stuck with them, Livermore Downtown worked hard to design a COVID-compliant opportunity to bring their artists and crafters together. The result was their 2021 Makers Market.

Makers, vendors, and business reps lined their booths up along First Street. Shops and other small businesses along the street put their merchandise out on the sidewalk to add to the festivities. While food trucks and wine tastings were not permitted due to health and safety concerns, eateries in the area experienced a huge influx of foot traffic.

“The Makers Market felt like a big reunion,” said Rachael Snedecor, Executive Director of Livermore Downtown. “It was a breath of fresh air for our downtown community. People want us back.”

Retailers reported the traffic and energy in their shops felt like it had before the pandemic. For a couple of the participating makers, the Market had been their first show since March 2020 and felt they would have had to quit making without Livermore Downtown hosting the event.

“As we’re coming out of COVID, it’s time to get back to the grassroots of what we’re about,” said Snedecor.

The success of the event was enhanced by auxiliary community events hosted simultaneously with the Makers Market. Blacksmith Square, an area outside of the downtown core, hosted their own makers market with live music. The Butcher Shop in another nearby area hosted a small car show. For Snedecor, these adjacent festivities were strategic: “We really encouraged neighborhoods to have their own experience within the experience. I wanted a bigger draw for this market, and we kept asking ourselves, ‘How do we pull them into our neighborhood to support local?’”

The lack of designated stage area—another COVID compliment adjustment—only created more opportunities for local arts organizations to create their own experiences within the experience. A local set designer brought out set pieces from Alice in Wonderland to life at a small Batch makers market included in the weekend. Livermore School of Dance organized their students to perform pop-up dance routines around the market. These “surprises of fun” added to the weekend’s reunion feel.

“Livermore’s Makers Market is a good example of an innovative approach communities have taken to transition events that support local entrepreneurs,” said Amanda Elliott, Director of California Programs at Main Street America. “Our Main Streets continue to provide creative solutions to broad commercial district challenges as our downtowns reopen and recover.”