FORT WAYNE – Sleep Number beds, knock-off designer bags and handmade scarves from Laos are all available under the same pavilion this year at the Home & Lifestyle Marketplace at the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival.
“It used to be the marketplace,” said volunteer Tom Hampshire, 47. “It’s just a name change.”
Some of the sellers have been around for years, such as Felicia Ogundipe, 51, who has been selling jewelry, bags, hats and more for eight or nine years.
“Since I’ve been coming here, I’ve met a lot of good people,” she said. “My customers come back every year looking for me.”
Others, like Jill Jones, 41, are here selling for the first time this year. She and her husband decided to set up a stand for their business, Charity Home Improvement.
“I’m sure we’ll get a lot of foot traffic, and that’s what we need to sell our product,” she said.
While Jones comes from Leo-Cedarville and Ogundipe from DeKalb, Ill., some sellers and their items travel from halfway across the world.
John Brichacek, 65, and his wife are at the festival for their second year, selling items from their travels around Asia. The two set up their business, World Threads, eight years ago after visiting Thailand, where they live half of the year.
They have clothing from Hong Kong, scarves from Laos, hats from Thailand and much more.
They spent two years searching for the best artists and eventually converted their small shop into a full business. The two travel throughout the country, selling their items at festivals, fairs and other events.
“When we’re in the U.S., we have something every weekend,” Brichacek said.
Back in Thailand, they spend their time in a small boat traveling from village to village along the Mekong River looking for new items to bring back.
“We try to specialize in going to small manufacturers,” he said. “When you buy something from us, you know you won’t find it anywhere else.”
The Home & Lifestyle Marketplace is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Friday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday in Headwaters Park West.
