Talent, creativity and unusual hobbies were on display Saturday for the spring edition of the Makers Market in Atlanta. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the streets of downtown Atlanta were filled with over 80 artisans, craft and food vendors.
For these energized four hours, the walking public could touch, talk about and appreciate surprising fabrications from friends and neighbors. The makers market is a showcase of goods homemade, handmade or homegrown from a 50-mile radius.
The event is presented four times a year by the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce with prime support given by Genesis Primecare.
Ashley Duke-Matthews, left, and Tamara Duke-Matthews have a Fairy Tale Garden and Farm business that is especially enjoyable for their daughter, Emilie, 6. Their farm produces fresh-baked sourdough breads and sweets as well as produce, fresh eggs, plants and hand-painted art. (Photo by Neil Abeles)
Tawni Tyson has an entertaining talent. She decorates faces. Her business's name is Fancy Free, and she is available for birthdays, churches, schools and other events. She says she can change one's outlook very quickly. (Photo by Neil Abeles)
Kim Farris has an unusually creative hobby which she has turned into a modest business. She makes wax candles which look like food. See the sweets and chocolate items above? They are not candy. They are candles, and Farris is the maker. (Photo by Neil Abeles)
Jessica LaGrone from Linden has created Evangeline Gardens, which features hand and body soaps, sugar scrubs and other skin care items such as clay masks. One of her basic products is the use of sugar and oil together to properly care for the skin. (Photo by Neil Abeles)
Stephanie-Ann Crisp makes firewater fountains, which are decorative combinations of fire and water that produce dancing images. "A lot of people like the sound of water, too. And as for the alcoholic content of some of the liquids I use? I give it away," Crisp said. She is shown with her creation which empties a bottle of whiskey into a colorful bucket. (Photo by Neil Abeles)
Lindsey McAlester from Texarkana has a special reason for holding an umbrella. She is making herself visible to passers-by as she promotes the local spay and neuter animal program called "Mutts Miscellaneous." She also organizes activities such as parties and neighborhood trash pick-up events. "Keep it pawsitive. Help the local dog," she says of this volunteer work in its first season. (Photo by Neil Abeles)