Shop handmade, vintage at Made Market QC this weekend

From handmade goods and trendy boutiques to vintage pieces, you’ll find vendor booths offering it all this weekend at the spring Made Market QC going on at the Bend XPO, 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline. “These are all locally owned small businesses who have spent countless hours making unique products and creating fun, new, eye-catching […]

From handmade goods and trendy boutiques to vintage pieces, you’ll find vendor booths offering it all this weekend at the spring Made Market QC going on at the Bend XPO, 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline. “These are all locally owned small businesses who have spent countless hours making unique products and creating fun, new, eye-catching displays,” Rachelle Buckwalter, owner and director of Made Market QC and Owner of Crafted Quad Cities, a Davenport shop also offering local gifts and handmade items, told the QCBJ. 

“I am happy to help showcase these amazing creators and artists all under one roof.”  This weekend’s market – which runs 5-8 p.m. Friday, April 7, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 8 – will feature more than 150 vendors offering an assortment of handmade jewelry, plants, macrame, stained glass, bath and body products, candles and pottery, plus live music, workshops, demonstrations, food and drinks, and caricaturist artist who will draw portraits for free as an event souvenir.  “We intentionally host three markets a year (during the spring, summer and holiday seasons) ... in hopes to bring you the best shopping experience year-round,” Ms. Buckwalter said. The market first got its start in 2017 under the name OMG BeckyFest as an extension of the Crafted Quad Cities shop. It later became Made Market QC in April 2022 when Ms. Buckwalter acquired the store and corresponding market.   “This name better represents the vendors and what our show is all about,” she said. 

One of her favorite parts about the market is seeing vendor displays and visitors leaving with bags. “That means they had fun shopping, a small business made a sale and shoppers found some good stuff to take home,” she said.  Admission to Made Market QC is $5 online, $7 at the door, and free for children ages 18 and younger, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting EveryChild, formerly the Child Abuse Council.  “Each market gets better and better,” Ms. Buckwalter said. “It’s an experience that’s not often found in the QC area.”