Marine Gateway Summer Art Market returns for a 2nd year showcasing handmade goods

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The Marine Gateway Summer Art Market has returned this summer for a second year, gathering local vendors to sell their handmade goods on Aug. 17, 24, and 31 from noon to 5:00 pm on Southwest Marine Drive in Vancouver, near the Marine Drive Canada Line Station. 

From beaded jewelry to handcrafted soap, artists and artisans can fill out an application to sell their work as long as they are handmade and are not third-party products, says Theresa Mura, the event coordinator, who has been arranging markets for many years. 

“I’m from Chicago originally, and I’ve done art markets there. I lived in Japan for 12 years, I’ve done markets there. Now in Canada, I’ve done them in Whistler … and now here,” Mura says. 

The Marine Gateway Summer Art Market launched last year as a pilot project to animate the breezeway of the newly built buildings and Canada Line station, and Mura was invited to coordinate the market. 

“It went really well, everybody loved it. The residents in the building, the businesses, and people just loved coming from the SkyTrain to and from home and seeing beautiful artwork and jewelry,” says Mura, adding this year they extended the market with more tents. 

“Last year, we had a lot more visual artists with paintings. This year, there’s trends with more jewellers and more crochet artists, which is very interesting.”

Mickey Hui is one of the vendors selling different crochet accessories, including flower pom-poms, bouquet coasters, and roses among others. Hui says she started her work last year in December by making a hat, and it later became a small business. 

“This is a very good way to engage with customers, even though it’s not mostly about the sales, it’s more about connecting with my customers and learning about different things throughout the journey,” Hui says. 

Sascha Westendorp, an artist who specialises in painting doors using mixed-media art, sells small paintings, postcards, and print bags among other items at the market. She says she enjoys talking to people at the market, exchanging stories about what her drawings are about, and seeing people enjoy the art, too. 

Kelly Liu is another vendor who found out about the market from a Facebook group. She sells handmade reusable press-on nails in various colours and patterns, which are painted by her cousin. 

“During COVID, she got laid off, and then there was a restriction that you cannot meet in-person, so you cannot do nails for people,” Liu says.

“That’s how she started her own press-on nails because you don’t have to meet people, but you can still sell your art and then all your work,” she says, adding the market gives an opportunity to see different vendors, their works, and gain inspiration from them. 

Cassandra Russell, who sells handcrafted sun catchers, cell phone charms, wristlets, and earrings among other items, says she feels “incredibly special” when someone likes and wants her creations.

“I have a full-time day job, so when that decreased a little bit, I was able to spend more time on hobbies. So I started working with UV resin in February, and I bought a starter kit on Amazon, and it just took off from there,” Russell says.

Mura says markets are a good place for artists to be seen, meet other vendors, and build a community. 

“We have a lot of residents nearby and in these buildings that come back every week to see what new vendors we have,” she says. 

“It’s important for the artists to get out there, too, especially if they … have never exhibited before or make their craft at home and maybe sell to their friends only. This really broadens their market, and I think it encourages them to create more as well.”