Pretty much everyone in Park City has at least one memory that involves our famous market, Park Silly. The music, the people, the food, the general vibe of it.
For some people, though, it’s not just a market. It’s a business opportunity, or a passion, or a way to express themselves.
Park Silly, which is held most Sundays during the summer on lower Main Street, not only provides opportunities to the adults in our community, but also to the youth. So next time you stop by the market, take a peek at these booths.
You can get a brand new pair of earrings at The Cozy Studio, and then drop by Pet Portraits to get a drawing of your favorite animal companion, and then make a stop at High-Air Education to get a custom sticker or rep your love for nature with a stylish new T-shirt.
Pet Portraits
Pet Portraits is a shop that was born out of Chloe Sawyer and Finnley Whitney’s love for dogs. During a conversation about summer jobs last year, Whitney mentioned his love for Ranchos Luna Lobos, a local dog rescue for Nordic breeds.
With Sawyer’s experience working with live portrait artists at the Kimball Art Festival and Whitney’s experience at the ranch, they decided that a pet portrait business dedicated to Luna Lobos was the perfect way to spend their summer.
They started their business last summer with the goal of raising $1,000 in support of Luna Lobos and to help them cover veterinary costs, a goal that they surpassed by $300. However, it quickly became clear that their business could be much more than just a way to raise money.
“People in Park City love their pets and are incredibly supportive of small businesses. This community has given us so much, and we just want to spend time with dogs so we can help support more dogs,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer and Whitney sell postcards with photography done by Whitney as well as their portraits.
Their main product is, of course, live pet portraits that are done by Sawyer in under four minutes. This year, Sawyer will also be drawing people. She draws using pictures as reference, and so Sawyer and Whitney often encourage patrons to walk around and explore the market and return to collect their drawings before they leave.
They are also attempting to advertise better and ensure people understand their business.
Pet Portraits will be in Park Silly on Aug. 30 and throughout September.
High-Air Education
High-Air Education was created by Rachel Riff when she was 15 years old as a way for her to celebrate her passion for the outdoors. She was inspired to start her business because of the amount of time she spends outside and because she gains so much value from it. Her shirts are a way for her to share that value and appreciation with the world.
Riff decided to name her business High-Air Education because of how much she learns by being high up in the air through her various activities, and she loved the play on words. High-Air Education originally started by selling T-shirts that were inspired by the outdoors and has since evolved to selling custom stickers, which Riff makes at her booth.
She has a sticker printer that allows her to receive images from customers on her phone and print them out. Riff loves to see what people want stickers of and how happy her products make people.
She will be at Park Silly Market on Aug. 30.
The Cozy Studio
The Cozy Studio is a business that is run by 15-year-old Clara Marin, who is a veteran when it comes to markets like Park Silly.
Having done 15 separate markets, most of which were located in Washington, where she’s originally from, the Cozy Studio sells a wide variety of products.
Marin was inspired to start her business by her love of arts and crafts. She originally started by painting, but after realizing how messy and time-consuming it could be, she switched to macrame, which is what she uses in her products today.
Marin really enjoys the process of running her business, but it is not without its struggles. A booth at Park Silly is expensive after all, and it can be difficult to price items correctly — especially when considering how long it takes to make certain products (up to eight hours) and the cost of materials, as well as how long market days are, stretching from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Cozy Studio sells a wide variety of macrame crafts, but Marin’s most popular products are her four different styles of earrings, Christmas ornaments and keychains.
She hopes to eventually expand her business to include ceramics and watercolor, but she also has a great appreciation for other forms of art and creative expression, such as photography.
According to Marin, Park Silly is the first market that she has participated in that includes tourists as well as locals, so she has created a separate line of products that function as souvenirs to appeal to this audience as well.
The Cozy Studio will be at Park Silly Market on Aug. 30, and she has a booth at the Kamas Valley Market that runs from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Kamas City Event Center, 50 E. 400 South, as well.
Park Silly Sunday Market
- When: Sundays, Aug. 30, and Sept. 13, 20 and 27
- Where: Lower Main Street
- Cost: Free
- Web: parksillysundaymarket.com