Spring in the Spring: This Week at the Fenton Street Market

Thanks to my model!

In a recent interview with the American Theatre Wing, Stephen Sondheim said that he loved to listen to people talk about how they do what they do. In honor of Mr. Sondheim's (rather belated) 80th birthday, I'd like to agree with that sentiment! I spent a good part of the day yesterday doing just that.

Yesterday was a great Spring day in Silver Spring, as I wandered around between the Fenton Street Market and the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival. It was a little bit rainy and overcast, but all of that was forgotten with my bag of Migue's Magnificent Mini Donuts, baked fresh in their booth. (I got to the Market nice and early so I could have a fresh breakfast, and man, was it worth it! The booth even smelled like heaven! There's a tray with toppings--chocolate syrup, confectioner's sugar, sprinkles, and the like--to the side of the booth, but I had pure, unadulterated donuts. Delish!)

And now for something we think you'll really enjoy: a picture of the Magnificent Mini Donuts!

The next half hour or so took me from booth to booth. I had a really interesting talk with Sue from Big Moon Little Stars (from whom I bought the Julia Child cookbooks last week) about the differences between being someone who sells antiques, and being someone who sells something they produced. We talked about the kinds of people who come to a market like ours: people who come only for the crafts, people who come only for the antiques, and people who want to look at everything--the set she thinks is the smallest of all. Sue thinks that as the spring and summer go on, the groups will start to mingle more, and more people will be interested in everything the Market has to offer. Very interesting.

I also got a chance to talk with Betty from Bette's Bags about how she gets her ideas, and how she makes her super-cute wares. All of her pieces are one-of-a-kind, and so if you see something you like on her site or at the Market, snap it up! I got one of these adorable felted flowers in olive green.

 (My photo didn't turn out very well, so this one is from the Bette's Bags website.) I'm going to pin it to so many cardigans... :) Betty was also so sweet. She posted a comment last week, and when I introduced myself to her, she stood up and gave me a huge hug! We chatted for a bit, and it was a great experience, talking and looking at her bags.

I also got this great tea towel from Open Eyes Press:

It looks great in our kitchen, and even better in our bar area.

After saying hi to Hannah and Debbie (the brainchildren of the Market, who are doing such an amazing job) and buying a "vintage" 1980s necklace from an antiques booth, I made my way to my first stop at the Human Rights Art Festival..But I'll leave my thoughts on the panel and art installations I saw in a later post, I think. This one's pretty long already!

By the way, if you like the Fenton Street Market poster in the picture, it's for sale in a very limited edition printing.