Willards Weekly Offers Diverse Gathering Of Vendors

Willards Weekly Offers Diverse Gathering Of Vendors
Willards

WILLARDS — The Willards Weekly Vendor and Craft Sale has been growing in scope since first opening in March.

Last week marked the first major fundraiser with several more on the books. Organizers hope to see the weekly event grow to something that allows dozens of vendors and direct sellers to interact with customers in the years ahead while increasing charitable efforts and community involvement.

Willards Weekly first officially launched on March 1. The location is on Route 50 at Bent Pine Road. Every Saturday, 10 to 15 vendors are set up outside. It’s similar to the typical arrangement of a flea market, explained organizer Michele Mitchell, but with much deeper roots and with dedicated vendors and crafters.

“It seemed to be a great location for people who are private business owners who have a direct sales company or they’re a crafter or they have handmade items, a place where we can kind of get together and promote our businesses,” she said.

Mitchell herself is an Avon representative and the other vendors, many of whom rotate weekly, represent a wide variety of products and services, some recognizable brands and other completely independent. Most of the participants have experience in everything from direct sales to temporary or general markets and craft events. By establishing a regular location and bringing everyone together as a group, Mitchell believes that the collection of vendors will find a solid niche in the area and build quality reputations much quicker than through just singular interactions.

“The whole idea is so that the local small business owners who have their own direct sales or crafting company can really get their name out there into the community,” she said.

While she participates as a vendor and serves as the organizer, Mitchell said that she isn’t interested in profiting off of her fellow merchants. Instead, the policy is to take whatever vendors are contributing to the event and recycle into advertising or use it for fundraising efforts.

Willards Weekly held its first major fundraiser last weekend, where the vendors raised money for the Worcester County Humane Society.

It was a successful event, according to Mitchell, that also experienced a touch of the surreal when a dog was struck by a car near the venue. It was an unfortunate irony for a fundraiser that was dedicated to the Humane Society but luckily the story did have a happy ending. Vendors and society members rallied to help the animal after it was struck, said Mitchell, and after some quick medical treatment the injured dog is expected to make a full recovery.

All of this is in line with Willards Weekly’s philanthropic philosophy. The next fundraiser in the works will be July 19 for Ride of Life, a charitable outreach effort that is raising money for hospice and to increase awareness for ASL nationally. Mitchell would like to see her weekly event grow to where some level of fundraising is done at each gathering.

Also in the future the aim is to increase vendor participation and diversity. Things like food vendors and activities could be added, said Mitchell, until there are 30 or 40 different representatives out every weekend providing something that could engage families for the entire day. Right now Willards Weekly meets every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will continue to do so until Nov. 1. There will still be special events during the winter inside, however, and vendors are able to move indoors now should inclement weather threaten.

In the future, Mitchell would like to see times extended and have the event possibly stretch over to Sundays as well.

For more information, like Willards Weekly Vendor and Craft Sale on Facebook or email Mitchell at [email protected].