“I wish we had this in my hometown,” said 20-something Abigail “Abi” Cleeland, founder of the bright “Abblesauce” youth brand, gesturing at the Saturday NBopenmarket downtown.

On the 2nd Saturday afternoon in June, hundreds of city folk and young people from across the region filled Wing’s Court, meandering among 30 colorful booths selling everything from handicrafts to potted plants.  A punk band played on an outdoor stage and a handful of young people pogo-danced to the pounding beat.

more photos at bottom of article

Cleeland made the two-and-a-half hour drive from Stanford, Connecticut for NBopenmarket after discovering the event on MySpace. She considered the drive an investment in her brand of colorful “Abble” covered t-shirts designed to brighten the apparel for “two-year-olds to 35-year-old hip mom’s.” “I worked in fashion in Manhattan for a while, and I decided to slave over my own brand rather than somebody else’s,” she said, smiling broadly.

“Everybody’s on MySpace now, even Hillary Clinton,” said KeriAnn Correia, who was marketing her own “Bombshell” clothing line a couple of booths away.

On her “Bombshell Love” t-shirts, a military tank shoots out a barrage of hearts, an embodiment of Correia’s “anti-war, pro-sexy” message. Those purchasing a “Bombshell Love” t-shirt, could also purchase a matching thong, or “boy shorts.” Each purchase entitled a buyer to pick out a brightly covered complimentary squirt gun, apparently the weapon of choice of young fashionistas. A fox-colored lab/terrier mascot named “Bombshell Biscuit” attracted further attention to the brand.

The eclectic crowd that strolled through Wing’s Court was clearly unhurried. In a world where selling can be high-pressure, the downtown market was a laid-back affair, where commerce shared space with leisurely conversation.
 
“I bought a couple of presents,” said Anna D’Epiro Trafton, a social worker from Fairhaven, chatting about local politics with a friend. She said she bought a necklace, a bracelet, and a handmade cat doll to benefit Habitat for Cats, a cat local shelter and adoption center.

One booth sold “vintage” albums, alongside handmade ceramic coffee cups. A browser with a white ponytail leafed through the Rolling Stones and Bad Company then took a long, perhaps nostalgic, look at an Iggy Pop LP cover.

In the next booth, Virgil Johnson of Gardener’s Guild in Lakeville sold hanging baskets of bright petunias, and other greenhouse flowers and plants. Meanwhile, Melissa Bernier, of Melissa Joy Designs sold turquoise and other jewelry she handcrafts.
 
NB Open Market is the brainchild of “Calico” vintage clothing store owner Elissa Paquette.  NBopenmarket is held once a month, on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Vendors pay $10 a table, and the bands play for free.

“Hey, don’t forget to mention our MySpace,” said Paquette.

“It’s a cool little town,” Cleeland said of her first time in New Bedford, as the local “pop punk” band “Half-Hearted Hero” played on.

(You can learn more about Open Market at: http://www.MySpace.com/NBopenmarket or visit http://www.shopcalico.com)










(photos: John W. O'Brien III)