The Artisan Marketplace of Perry County will open its doors for a grand opening reception from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, in the PCCA's nationally recognized gallery at One South Second Street in Newport. Local musician Ryck Kaiser will provide the musical entertainment with his own Celtic-mountain music. Refreshments will be served.
Recently named "The Best Guild Store" by Niche magazine, the PCCA gallery will host the Marketplace through Saturday, December 23. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beginning December 1, hours will be extended until 8 p.m. on Fridays and until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The Marketplace will be closed Thanksgiving Day.
"We're offering these selected artists an opportunity to show their wares, with no cost at all to them," said Dave McNaughton, business counselor for HACC's Business Start-up Center. "In addition, the Business Start-up Center is available to assist them in the areas of promotional marketing, pricing and product development."
The Marketplace is part of a program that the Business Start-up Center designed to reach out to people in rural areas that have home-based businesses. While they have a product to sell, they might not have access to their market, according to McNaughton.
"The exposure that the PCCA brings to this endeavor is very fortunate for the artists and the Business Start-up Center. They are very active in the area in reaching out to artists and artisans," said McNaughton. "They also offer the expertise of their talented staff in the areas of product presentation, lighting, mood setting, sales tracking and store management."
The Marketplace will offer baskets, paintings and prints, pastels, photographs, pottery, handmade tiles, woodcrafts, ornaments, ironwork, stained glass, beaded, gemstone and metal jewelry, sculpture, hand-woven rugs and textiles, music, books, and more.
"The PCCA also has a contingent of people who will be participating, making for a much larger show," said McNaughton. "The gallery as a whole will represent close to 50 artists."
For more information on The Marketplace, call 567-7023 or 221-1311 or visit the PCCA Website using the Website link below.
Partial funding for the program was provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Keystone Innovation Zone program, which is working with the Business Start-up Center to assist rural businesses. Business owners can benefit from free one-on-one business counseling and business start-up advice, with specific programs for residents in Cumberland, Perry and Dauphin Counties.
For more information, call HACC's Business Start-up Center at 717-221-1311 or contact Dave McNaughton at the Business Start-up Center at the email address below.