As vendors and food trucks open at 10 a.m., Studio Undefined will also help kick off the official start of the 2023 Hamilton Flea with a 30-minute dance fitness class in the park. Municipal Brew Works is again the beer supplier for the Flea, which again features its exclusive Second Saturday Flea Brew. MBW will also feature seltzers beginning on Saturday, which is new to the event.
The Hamilton Flea has become a real “economic driver” for the city, said Tiffany Grubb, Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce’s director of marketing.
“We’re seeing an increase in visitors from outside the Hamilton area, in the surrounding areas, coming to downtown,” she said. “It’s an important economic driver for the city.”
They have also found that when people come to the Flea, they are drawn to the High-Main corridor that features local shops and restaurants. Grubb said they’ve typically seen most visitors stay for an hour or two at the Flea and venture out onto High and Main streets.
Hamilton Department of Neighborhoods Director Brandon Saurber said the Flea is “without a doubt” emblematic of the city’s revitalization that’s been more than a dozen years in the making. And many of the city’s events, like the Hamilton Flea, are not city government-driven.
“All of these things, like the Flea, were started by residents,” he said, adding that residents are really “activating Hamilton” through their passion for the city.
The Hamilton Flea was created in 2016 by residents Lauren and Ty Smallwood and has grown to engage the community, as well as a way to incubate and support small and growing businesses. This citywide event is now entering its seventh season (it was canceled, with much of everything else, in 2020) was first conducted in German Village for a couple of years before moving to Marcum Park.
Lauren Smallwood told the Journal-News in 2018 that she was not surprised by the support, saying, “The success of the Hamilton Flea is a direct reflection of the spirit of Hamilton.”
For those who do not know what the Hamilton Flea is, it’s a curated urban artisan market, and patrons can spend a full day in the city in and around the park visiting the more than 60 vendors artisan vendors specializing in handcrafted goods and unique services.
Patrons and visitors are also encouraged to head to downtown and Hamilton’s High-Main corridor, which features breweries, restaurants, and shopping options within the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area district.
The Hamilton Flea is also partnering with Healthy Hamilton and Envision Partnerships for the May event, holding their Family Day at the Flea. The Boogies and the Woogies will also be there, as will Animal Friends Humane Society.
HAMILTON FLEA
The annual Hamilton Flea, a curated urban artisan market, is held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with yoga at 9 a.m.) on the second Saturday of May through September at Marcum Park on Dayton Street in Hamilton’s German Village. Here are the 2023 dates:
- May 13
- June 10
- July 8
- Aug. 12
- Sept. 9
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