Midweek Market and Junior Makers Market begins in Fairport Harbor Village - The News-Herald
A new community event in Fairport Harbor Village is striving to attract people who enjoy shopping at outdoor markets during the summer.
The Fairport Harbor Midweek Market and Junior Makers Market was held for the first time on June 4. This program will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through Aug. 20 in Finn Hollow Park, 301 High St. At the inaugural market, about 15 vendors occupied space throughout the park. Products offered for sale included jewelry, homemade baked goods, fresh locally grown produce, customized T-shirts, and wood and metal items.
One booth that attracted plenty of attention was The Sweet Tooth, a home-based business owned by Mia Pizzi of Painesville.
The Sweet Tooth was featuring freshly baked products such as fruity pebble and brown butter chocolate chip cookies, as well as old fashioned and cherry chocolate sourdough bread. Pizzi, who established The Sweet Tooth in December of 2024, said she thought that the new event might offer a nice opportunity to sell her products.
“Fairport’s just such a small town, and I think everybody always supports local businesses, so I figured it would be a good (outdoor market) to go to,” she said.
Visitors who worked up an appetite during the event also could purchase foods such as wood-fired pizza, cannoli and ice cream treats. Another vendor was selling fresh squeezed lemonade in its traditional form, or in flavors such as blue raspberry, dragon fruit and mango.
Fairport Harbor residents Mark and Mary Elsing were seated at a picnic table on the market grounds, eating an order of breaded dill pickles with horseradish sauce.
Mark said he and Mary traveled to the event in their golf cart, which they enjoy driving around the village.
“We thought we’d check out the first market and support the community,” Mark said.
Live music also was performed from 5 to 7 p.m. by Peter Ray.
The Fairport Harbor Midweek Market and Junior Makers Market was created by Justin Levine, a village resident and owner of Lake Enrollment & Media LLC. Some of the services that the business provides include marketing, publicity, social media management and special event planning.
Levine also is well-known in the community as the founder and co-chairman of the Fairport Harbor Arts and Culture Alliance. He said the idea for an outdoor market actually dates to 2020, when the alliance got started.
“At the time, we had been discussing the possibility of launching a Friday market to help fill the gap left by the closure of Harvey’s Farm Market and the general lack of nearby options,” he said. “We thought once our concert series was up and running, we’d have the time and momentum to bring the market to life — but as things go, we were never quite able to commit to it fully.”
But plans were revived in January, when Levine launched Lake Enrollment and Media LLC.
“I revisited a list of community ideas that had been sitting on the back burner, and the outdoor market immediately stood out,” he said. “It felt like the right time, and the right opportunity.”
He then reached out to alliance members to see if they’d be comfortable with him taking the lead on organizing the event.
“And with their support, we hit the ground running,” he said.
He got the inspiration from his own children to incorporate a Junior Makers Market into the overall program.
“At most of the alliance’s concerts, you’ll find my 7- and 9-year-olds set up with a makeshift stand — usually just an upside-down box —selling little toys, keychains or whatever they’ve created that week,” Levine said. “It made me think: Why not give young entrepreneurs a real platform to explore their creativity and learn how to sell their goods in a welcoming environment?”
There are seven children under the age of 13 who are signed up for the Junior Makers Market this summer.
“We do ask that parents stay on-site to supervise, but we’re not charging any booth fees to the children,” he said. “The goal is to give these kids a fun, confidence-building experience — and maybe spark the idea that they really can build something of their own one day.” ne participant in the June 4 edition of the Junior Makers Market was Ellie Griffith. The 6-year-old Mentor resident set up a space to sell drawings and paintings of cats that she creates through a business called Ellie’s Art Cats.
“She loves cats,” said Ellie’s mother, Veronica Griffith. “That’s why she started drawing.”
Veronica said she learned about the Fairport Harbor Junior Makers Market in a Facebook post. It marked the first time Ellie sold her artwork at a community event.
“I asked her if she wanted to sell some of her artwork and she got super excited and wanted to do it,” Veronica said.
Ellie said she already had a plan for how she’ll use some of the money that she makes from her artwork of felines.
“I want to buy a bunny,” she said.
For more information about the Fairport Harbor Midweek Market and Junior Makers Market, contact Justin Levine at 216-213-8350 or justin@lakeenrollment.com.