WEAVERVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — For the untrained eye, Reems Creek Pottery might be easy to miss. The pottery shop is located in a former industrial warehouse just off of Reems Creek Road in Weaverville, N.C.

But while the pottery shop is little, its Saturday pop-up market is anything but.

The Spring Art & Craft Pop-Up Market will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 5 at 181 Reems Creek Road.

The event began in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered many arts and crafts retailers.

“I noticed that a lot of my crafter friends had no place to sell their crafts. Like, there was nothing open,” recalled Reems Creek Pottery owner and potter Rachel Smith. “I looked out at this huge parking lot I have out there and I said, oh, surely I can do something.”

At a Reems Creek Pottery pop-up, artists are assigned 10 x 10 tents in the large parking lot outside the shop.

The gravel parking lot outside of Reems Creek Pottery is large enough to host over a dozen vendors in 10 x 10 booths.
The gravel parking lot outside of Reems Creek Pottery is large enough to host over a dozen vendors in 10 x 10 booths.

The area is vast, graveled and perfectly suited for the 15 or so artists Smith usually has on hand.

That being said, this Saturday might be a little snug.

“This is going to be my biggest one ever,” Smith shared. “Usually, I have only done 15 or 16, and I got up to 21.”

The pop-up is certain to be bustling with talented artists of all kinds.

“I have a little layout I’ve done on graph paper that I copy each time, and I went out there and I had to say where can I put five more booths?” Smith said. “Because people were contacting me and they were like Rachel, I heard you’re doing this pop-up, I really wanna come. Or, like, I didn’t RSVP in the beginning. Do you still have a spot?”

Smith sighed ruefully and laughed.

“I’m like, oh, I really like your art. Yes! I want you to come.”

Rachel Smith, potter and owner of Reems Creek Pottery, has hosted pop-up events since 2020.

The Reems Creek Pottery pop-up vendor demographic is very local and fairly exclusive. Many of Smith’s crafters participate in her show alone out of the region’s proliferative arts festivals and markets.

“I started out a lot of Weaverville people. A lot of the crafters, initially and even now, don’t do a lot of other events. I have some. I have one that’s in Southern Highlands and a few that do Weaverville Art Safari,” Smith shared. “But a lot of them, quite a few of them, just do one or two events a year. They aren’t the ones you’re gonna see at the Big Crafty or the Uncommon Market, for instance.”

Reems Creek Pottery owner Rachel Smith pokes her head out the door at her shop.

That means Smith’s pop-up might be the only chance shoppers have to peruse this particular selection of “art, craft, ceramics, up-cycling, jewelry, fine art, woodworking, pouches, totes, embroidery, greeting cards, plants, collages, cork, baskets, crochett, puzzles and more,” as a flyer for the event advertises.

The events are a big undertaking for Smith. Over the years, she has experimented with the frequency of the pop-ups, going from as many as three a year all the way back to one. At present, she’s settled on two: one now and one in the fall.

“Every time, I go: I’m not gonna do these anymore. These are so exhausting. These are so much work for me to organize. And my crew, my other potters that are in this studio with me, were all laughing,” Smith chuckled. “They said, Rachel, you say that every single time. And I’m like, oh, I do, don’t I?”

The artists that will be be in attendance at the Spring Art & Craft Pop-Up Market include:

  • Dana B. Moore – Embroidery and small pouches
  • Nancy Barrett – Wings and Eagles
  • Sara Bell – Bell’s Artistries
  • Kelly Biers – Mountain Otter Candles
  • Devon Burkhalter – Farm Press
  • Alex Capps – Clyde Scope Creations
  • Cynn Chadwick – Art and books by local author
  • Joanne Chan – Babolulu.com
  • Traci Childs – Read Me Unconditionally Book Boxes
  • Rebecca Edelson – Lovestruck Cork
  • Nadine Fidelman – Jewelry by Nadine
  • Tara Grunwald – Celtic Crossing Cards
  • Amelia Hamilton – Corium and Mug Monsters
  • Elizabeth Helene Searle – Elizabeth Helene’s Creations
  • Liam and Collen – Fire and Brush Art
  • Susan McChesney – Pressed Flower Art
  • Deana Murchison – Pocketbooks, etc
  • Ann Oakes – Carolina Coil Baskets
  • Suzanne Soffer – Suzanny Fiber Art
  • Maxine VanSlyke – Max’s Blossom Boutique
  • Dot Williams – Skipping Pibble Designs
Some of the work on display at Reems Creek Pottery.

Additionally, the potters of Reems Creek Pottery will be in attendance: Eirene Peterson and Travis Burnette of Iya Blu Inc., Elaine Karpen of Murder Mittens Pottery and work by Smith herself.

For more information about Reems Creek Pottery or the upcoming event, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/reemscreekpottery.