Gulfshore Marketplace to sell handmade and homegrown goods

Residents are gearing up for the annual Gulfshore Marketplace on Saturday. The sale is in its third year.

Every vendor lives in the mobile home park, and everything for sale is either handmade, homegrown or freshly baked. 

“We typically have about 10 crafters, and last year, that pretty much filled our clubhouse,” Gulfshore resident Beverly Miller said. “The beautification group always gets into it, and they have all kinds of plants and fresh flowers.”

One member has been busy growing cherry tomato plants from seeds. The plants are in hanging pots and close to harvest. Cookies, breads and small cheesecakes will be among the baked goods.   

Vendors keep their profits, but pay to rent a spot. Last year’s fees bought 22 new books for the library. While an instant hit among residents, the marketplace has had a rocky start reaching beyond the park.

“The first year, we barely got in before everything shut down for COVID,” Miller said. “We had it on Saturday and things got shut down on Tuesday. Our pool closed, everything.”

Last year's sale was met with a downpour that flooded the streets. Fellow residents put on their rain gear to support their neighbors, and the vendors still did well. 

Third time's a charm, so the hope for this year is that the weather will be nice enough to welcome more shoppers from outside the park. 

The creativity among the handmade items ranges from useful to decorative. Miller combines the two with a dish towel scarf. The fabric is pretty enough to wear, and the towels are thick enough to double as potholders. 

Beyond sewn items, vendors craft jewelry from sea glass and fan pulls from shells. There will be T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters and more. Art mediums run from wood to epoxy. With ten vendors, there’s a wide variety to browse and buy.