Photos and story by Karly Cordell / Contributing Writer
Marking its sixth time in Nashville, the Porter Flea Market is back at the Nashville Fairgrounds this weekend.
Hundreds of local and regional vendors set up shop for Friday’s ticketed preview market, which gave shoppers early access to the vendors and what they had to offer before the full market on Saturday. The preview also featured complimentary beer and Nashville shopping bags for attendees.
Vendors boasted products including handmade leather bags, dainty jewelry, painted wall art, home decor and small cacti and succulents.
Amaranthus Paper & Flora, a mother-daughter-run business that creates paper flowers and bouquet arrangements, wowed many as shoppers lined up to make and purchase their own paper flower bouquet.
The mother-daughter team stretches and molds a special kind of craft paper in order to mimic the looks of real flowers.
“I began making paper flowers four years ago to help my sister with a fundraiser for cancer,” Cherie Eastburn said. “At the time, I was just playing around with the paper. People ended up loving them.”
“My daughter, Meredith, asked, ‘Why don’t we make this a business?’ Eastburn said. “Four years later, here we are.”
Launched in July 2011, the market’s main focus was celebrating modern handmade goods.
According to the official Porter Flea website, the market is now led by Katie Vance and her husband, Matt Alexander, who both “continue an emphasis on the handmade art and design movement, local businesses and community building.”
The Porter Flea Market is free and open to the public on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Sydney Wagner, email [email protected].
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