The Downtown Exchange Artisan Market expands on Zanesville’s art walk tradition

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The First Friday Art Walk tradition in downtown Zanesville just got a little bigger.

The Downtown Exchange hosted it’s first ever Artisans Market on Friday during the art walk and today. The market brought 11 vendors together where they could showcase, sell, and network over their artistic goods. One of those vendors included Chad Kettlewell with Chad Kettlewell Photography.

“It’s definitely an honor to be part of the inaugural event here at The Downtown Exchange,” Kettlewell said. “It’s a new event, it’s unique. Bringing people together with the vendors that are here giving the, you know, community the opportunity to look at the variety of vendors and get something to eat and hang out all at the same time.”

The vendors list is selected by a panel to ensure the artistic integrity of the Downtown Exchange Artisan’s Market. That same panel aims to rotate vendors from month-to-month. Kathy German is the director of the Artisans Market and says all of that organizing to ensure the best shopping experience possible.

“So we’ve decided to make it so that there are different vendors, not always every month. But say, one that you really like might be every other month or something so that there’s a variety and we’re not just the same people all the time,” German said. “So, that’ll hopefully satisfy our shoppers for new stuff every month and then come back to see your favorites.”

Between the new Artisans Market at the Downtown Exchange, great weather, and the trolley in town to offer free rides, April’s First Friday Art Walk was an eventful night in Zanesville. Kettlewell hopes that the First Friday Art Walk continues that momentum and grow.

“I think it’s great that businesses outside of the galleries are getting involved in First Friday. I would like to see that continue so that we can have the Friday night art walks continue to grow and bring, you know, more tourism and more community downtown. It’s a great thing,” Kettlewell said.

You can learn more or apply to be a vendor by visiting the Downtown Exchanges website at Downtown-exchange.com.