PALM COAST, Fla. – Traveling to other cities to shop for specialty goods can be a hassle, and not everyone is computer savvy when it comes to shopping online.
Bringing high quality goods and a chance to chat with the artisans to the Palm Coast area, Melissa Lampugnano hosted the Palm Coast Spring Makers Market in May at the Palm Coast Community Center.
It’s the second foray into the Palm Coast market for Lampugnano, and attracted regional creators along with local talent to the show, after a successful fall Makers Market in 2022.
“I think having my business after 10 years, people just follow me and they know which events they want to sign up for. That’s how we got this many vendors out here,” she said. “We usually get really good vendors who reach out. They know what kind of events I host, the kind of marketing I do, and quality vendors sign up.”
Home base is St. Augustine for Lampugnano, and she’s perfectly situated to tap into both the northeast Florida and Central Florida markets. Getting her start as a creator, she’s grown her footprint while helping others sell their goods and services.
“I used to do diaper cakes which are craft-type items and there weren’t events to sell my diaper cakes at so I started hosting events. It just spun into doing a lot more events over 10 years,” she said, hosting between 20 and 30 events each year.
“The vendors are always looking for an opportunity to get their homemade craft or homemade items out there. For them, it’s hit or miss when working with new event hosts, and they don’t really know what to expect. Working with me for 10 years, they know what to expect and they’re just looking for that opportunity to get their items out there.”
New Market, New Exposure
Jacksonville-based candlemaker Sydney Lewis starting making specialty candles last fall and since then has developed a following for her work. Traveling to markets across Florida and southeast Georgia, she’s happy selecting specific markets to show her work, starting with her first one last October.
“I decided to make candles because I didn’t see a lot of cute candles that I wanted to add to my room. I was tired of just having candles in a jar. I wanted to make bears, and make flowers and heart-shaped candles. It’s just a fun little twist on a regular candle,” she said.
The reception from shoppers for her work has been so positive, they’ve encouraged her to consider a brick and mortar.
“They get shocked and are like, ‘this is so cute’,” shared Lewis. “I’ve gotten a lot of people buy as gifts for birthdays, holidays, special occasions, baby showers.”
Melissa Mueller, owner of Salty Girl Cocktail Creations was also down from Jacksonville to introduce her products to a new market.
Creating gourmet drink mixes, the hospitality professional noticed a shift toward fresh mixers as part of the craft cocktail trend, and decided to formulate her own recipes based on her experiences.
“I’ve been a bartender for about 25 years and I have been making handcrafted cocktail mixers, cocktails and mocktails for many, many years. During COVID I noticed there was a thing. People don’t know how, they wanted the good bar cocktails but didn’t have a way to make them at home, so these are all actually concentrated to be mixed with your liquor at home,” she said, demonstrating a variety of flavors and mixers from her ‘blueberry lavender cooler’ to the ‘citrus ginger zinger’.
“It all started with a Bloody Mary mix, so you’ve got all the goodies you need. You just mix it with your vodka, your gin, your champagne, whatever you’re in the mood for. They’re also good for mocktails. For those who don’t drink, you just mix them with club soda.”
Attending markets from Tallahassee to Palencia, the chance to introduce her business to the Palm Coast area was one she didn’t want to pass up.
“Sometimes in a small town you can’t find the craft cocktails. The flavor comes from the mixers, how you mix it, the fresh ingredients, the botanicals, the fruits. I thought it would be fun to come check this market out. It’s a new area for me. I’ve worked with Melissa before up in Jacksonville and the St. Augustine areas.”
Local vendors were also on hand to showcase their products, as well.
Offering a different take on satisfying a sweet tooth, Jodi Stubbs and Sherry Watson’s freeze-dried candy display was like stepping into Willy Wonka’s candy shop.
“I was spending way too much money on it to eat it myself. I got the machine so I could be my own dealer,” joked Watson.
New to the industry of freeze-dried products, the pair decided to sign up for their second event and learn more about how others marketed their homebased business, while connecting with shoppers.
“We just started putting it together to get it out there. We’re just now getting our feet wet with it, so we just started research it,” said Stubbs.
She’s better at the organization and business part of it, whereas I just want to make the candy and eat the candy. She does the rest of it,” added Watson.
Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Starbursts, Now & Laters, Mary Janes, all on display. Watson says one of the benefits of freeze drying the candy is it’s not sticky. Another is less wear and tear on the teeth.
“Not a lot of people can eat them because they’ll break your teeth,” she said about the hard candy. “When you freeze dry them, they’re dissolvable.”
Locally owned Black Jar Candle Company founder Christa Colletti has been working with Lampugnano for a number of years and appreciates the professionalism of the Makers Markets. She’s found the market’s shoppers are a good fit for her specialty candles.
“I sell candles that are 100 percent soy and the fragrance oils I use are vegan. My style is elegant but affordable,” she said.
Unlike some shows, the Makers Markets don’t limit the categories of vendors, allowing each niche industry to reach their target market, an added benefit for Colletti.
“I especially like working with Melissa because she has indoor events. Her vendor fees are a little bit higher and she does have a legit following of vendors that come to do all of her events because she’s very easy to work with. Everything’s digital, organized, on time. She does a great job.”
