Several times over the last 25 years, Sebastopol resident and inveterate collector Carrie Moore has held what she calls “a vintage rummage sale” at the Masonic Center on Main Street, across from Safeway. These two-day sales, sourced from her own collection, always raised a nice chunk of change, and Moore—a big booster of the local public schools, which both of her children attended—would donate a portion of the profits to one of the schools around town.
Over the years, she’s also sold at the Antique Society south of town, the French Market in Marin, and at the Modern Antiquarian down in Hillsborough, a wealthy suburb south of San Francisco.
These sales were actually just a sideline for her; her main business was The Elixir Cafe. She made elixirs from whole-plant extracts, herbal infusions, flower and gemstone essences, and sold them at farmers’ markets around the North Bay.
But at 66, she’s tired of “lugging these flipping tents around,” she said, with a laugh.
Looking for a more permanent location, she reached out to her old standby, the Masonic Center.
“I didn’t want to do another big sale all by myself at the Masonic Center,” she said. “I know Dennis, who manages it, because I’ve rented from him so many times. So I went over and talked to him, and I said, ‘You know, I’d like to open a little community marketplace and see if we can get it going once a month.’”
“So about five weeks ago, I just said, ‘I’m going to do it.’ I just came up with my artwork, and I put some ads out on Facebook Marketplace, looking for vendors to participate. It’s vintage, it’s handmade goods, collectibles, and gifts because I want it to be inclusive.”
She was amazed by the response. In no time, she had 22 vendors, including Sumbody, the long-time body shop on Main Street.
“It’s fun to get all these local people involved,” she said.
She christened the whole affair “Bohemian Marketplace,” and by now, you’ve probably seen the signs for it all over town. It’s starting this Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 am to 4 pm, at the Masonic Center, 373 N. Main Street. The next one will be held on Dec. 12.
What will Bohemian Marketplace offer? Here’s the description of the event Moore put on Facebook: “Vintage of all kinds, clothing, jewelry, mid-century modern, small furniture, glass, art, jewelry, vinyl records, architectural salvage, fabrics, old books, magazines & ephemera, kitchen wares & collectibles, garden, tools. So many beautiful handmade goods, soaps & botanical & body products, amazing arts & crafts, wood products & gifts, Swedish ceramics, Swedish & Japanese textile arts, crystal wands, children’s clothing and boutique dresses, custom rainbow clothing press, beautiful crochet items.”
Moore said the Bohemian Marketplace would also provide a good space for local vendors over the winter, when unpredictable weather is a real problem for people who make their living selling outdoors. Her offer to vendors promised a 10’ x 10’ booth with a table, as well as “electricity, overhead lighting, heat and indoor bathrooms.”
Coming right before the holidays is obviously a good time to start this new venture, but Moore said she hopes to keep Bohemian Marketplace going all year. These next few months will be a sort of test.
There will also be a bake sale at the event, and all the proceeds will go toward a project at one of the local schools.
Moore said her commitment to supporting local schools comes from her own experience in town as a public school parent. Both her children are flown and grown, and she credits the local schools for their success. “My children are doing so well in this world, and it’s because of the school system and because of this community. I strongly believe that.”
If you’d like to volunteer to help launch this fun new marketplace, reach out to Carrie Moore at lookinglasstour@gmail.com.
