MONROE - Some things you just can't buy at the Market on the Square in Monroe, but it's there for the asking.
"There's a wealth of knowledge," said Joel Stocker, a vendor who has started selling his wooden birdhouses and cutting boards. "It's more than just selling stuff. It's a neat place to get to know new people and find out interesting things."
The winter market is open the third Saturday of the month from October through April in the Masonic Temple auditorium in downtown Monroe and is packed with unique, handmade items for the whole family.
It's also packed with talent.
"It's a diverse group... it's not just farmers," said Amy Burdick, who was appointed manager of Market on the Square in November.
The vendors - retirees, gardeners, crafters, seamstresses, plant propagators, bakers and farmers, to name a few - are as varied as their products, Burdick said.
"It changes all the time, as the seasons change," she said. "It's a unique experience every time you come."
Burdick sells goat milk soaps. She spices them up with healthy natural ingredients, like beer, hops, fruits and vegetables and beeswax.
"I try to use all local products," she said. "The parsley and lavender, I grow myself."
Stocker also buys locally to make his one-of-a kind wooden items. And while he's not pushing to sell birdhouses, he finds the Market on the Square opens up marketing for his side business of wood crafting. Stoker builds special ordered, one-of-a-kind items, from flag holders to entertainment centers, so far.
Not one to waste a sliver of wood, nor to stand around idle, Stocker uses his leftover oak, cherry wood, walnut, hickory and maple to make smaller items.
Which is why you might find cherry wood cutting boards or white oak birdhouses resembling log cabins at the market.
Next to him, you may find his wife Dawn and friend Cindy Pluss, seamstresses with a plethora of kitchen towels and potholders, unlike any available in retail stores.
Grass-fed beef, wool products, apples, eggs, jewelry, preserves, beeswax candles and dehydrated foods have all made their way to some market days.
"There are so many cool things down there," Burdick said. The market is attracting new vendors all the time, she added.
Most crafters at the market have years of experience.
Stocker has been in woodworking for about 30 years. Burdick began making goat milk soaps with her mother about 12 years ago.
"I really thought it was fun, but it was her hobby," Burdick said.
But then, the goats were sold and their soap supply ran out.
Burdick missed the rich, silky feel of goat milk soap, so she did some research and discovered more companies sold more fragrances and molds than ever before.
"I fell in love with soaps," she said.
In 2009 she turned her cake baking and decorating experience into soap making, creating new varieties in her basement kitchen, some looking and smelling good enough to eat.
"But I stay with what is good for skin," she said.
Her next creation may contain pumpkin powder, something she appropriately found at the Market on the Square.
"There's a wealth of knowledge," said Joel Stocker, a vendor who has started selling his wooden birdhouses and cutting boards. "It's more than just selling stuff. It's a neat place to get to know new people and find out interesting things."
The winter market is open the third Saturday of the month from October through April in the Masonic Temple auditorium in downtown Monroe and is packed with unique, handmade items for the whole family.
It's also packed with talent.
"It's a diverse group... it's not just farmers," said Amy Burdick, who was appointed manager of Market on the Square in November.
The vendors - retirees, gardeners, crafters, seamstresses, plant propagators, bakers and farmers, to name a few - are as varied as their products, Burdick said.
"It changes all the time, as the seasons change," she said. "It's a unique experience every time you come."
Burdick sells goat milk soaps. She spices them up with healthy natural ingredients, like beer, hops, fruits and vegetables and beeswax.
"I try to use all local products," she said. "The parsley and lavender, I grow myself."
Stocker also buys locally to make his one-of-a kind wooden items. And while he's not pushing to sell birdhouses, he finds the Market on the Square opens up marketing for his side business of wood crafting. Stoker builds special ordered, one-of-a-kind items, from flag holders to entertainment centers, so far.
Not one to waste a sliver of wood, nor to stand around idle, Stocker uses his leftover oak, cherry wood, walnut, hickory and maple to make smaller items.
Which is why you might find cherry wood cutting boards or white oak birdhouses resembling log cabins at the market.
Next to him, you may find his wife Dawn and friend Cindy Pluss, seamstresses with a plethora of kitchen towels and potholders, unlike any available in retail stores.
Grass-fed beef, wool products, apples, eggs, jewelry, preserves, beeswax candles and dehydrated foods have all made their way to some market days.
"There are so many cool things down there," Burdick said. The market is attracting new vendors all the time, she added.
Most crafters at the market have years of experience.
Stocker has been in woodworking for about 30 years. Burdick began making goat milk soaps with her mother about 12 years ago.
"I really thought it was fun, but it was her hobby," Burdick said.
But then, the goats were sold and their soap supply ran out.
Burdick missed the rich, silky feel of goat milk soap, so she did some research and discovered more companies sold more fragrances and molds than ever before.
"I fell in love with soaps," she said.
In 2009 she turned her cake baking and decorating experience into soap making, creating new varieties in her basement kitchen, some looking and smelling good enough to eat.
"But I stay with what is good for skin," she said.
Her next creation may contain pumpkin powder, something she appropriately found at the Market on the Square.