Brenda Landrum

It really is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since The Heirloom Market started. 10 years of creating a market that focuses on small businesses who take pride in the things they make and the things they find. 10 years of building a brand that people would recognize and trust. 10 years of a following that would grow and grow. 10 years of having 3 different locations. 10 years of taking photos, creating graphics and websites. 10 years of getting to work with someone who I admire greatly.

This week is market week! It is always a bit hectic, even for me and I’m 200 miles away. There are last minute adjustments, things to update and even after 10 years there’s always something missed. On Friday and Saturday all the work we have done all year long finally gets fully revealed. The merch gets displayed, the venue will fill with vendors and customers, and we will fully celebrate this 10 year milestone.

It doesn’t take much for me to get a little sentimental about how far this little market has come. I remember when I was asked to come take some photos for their first vintage + handmade market. They needed some promo photos for a flyer so we met in a cut hay field where a dining table was set with a harvest decor theme and we started taking photos. When I arrived on the actual market day I wasn’t sure what I was going to find but little did I know just how much joy it would give not only me but everyone who was there that day. Every year it got bigger and more people would line up at the gate and wait for Tonia to ring the bell to get to the vendors booths first.

Tonia and I have worked on a handful of different projects together and every one of them I have enjoyed. I have watched a woman take an idea and turn it into reality with pure determination and creativity. We have both learned how to achieve each step as we go and done it together. She’ll come to me with an idea and as she is describing it to me I can start to see a vision, which then translates into photos, branding, logos, websites, and whatever else is needed. I have rarely not hit the nail on the head with what I end up creating and that is truly a unique relationship. There have been many people who have been part of this journey but the two of us have been the most dedicated to it. It’s all Tonia’s market but I do feel that it is one of my greatest accomplishments to be part of it from the beginning, to help build it into the brand it is today, and to get to be creative in a different way. My favorite things are the merch Tonia has made. The t-shirts, totes, stickers, enamel pins and more that I’ve been able to have my graphics on and to see people with them brings so much joy.

As I prepare for the market this weekend, I can’t help but to look forward a little bit and wonder how things will look 10 years from now. Will the market still be going on? Will the market have to move to an even bigger location? All I know is that I hope to be part of it for as long as I can and that we keep that same feeling of excitement like the first few markets.

I can’t wait to see my market friends this weekend!