By Billy Ludt
The McKelvey Gallery will be hosting its first Pop-Up Evening Market Tuesday-Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The McKelvey Gallery is located on the first floor of Martini Brothers Burger Bar on West Federal Street in Youngstown.
Heather Seno is the director of operations for the McKelvey and organized the pop-up market.
“I basically wanted to utilize this space in a way that would sort of draw attention to it in a unique way that people aren’t used to,” Seno said.
The pop-up market will feature five local vendors, selling items ranging from vintage clothing to art prints.
The vendors holding a table each night in the gallery are Squirrel Paws, Lola Bean’s Boutique, Rauschenbach Studios, Youngstown Famous and Wick & Fifth.
“I curated this entire show,” Seno said. “I specifically picked people that I thought would work well together.”
Seno said the gallery is an ideal place for the pop-up market. Attendees can peruse the vendor’s products and view the artwork Seno curated.
Aside from the market, events such as poetry readings, printmaking lessons and painting sessions are hosted monthly in the McKelvey.
Daniel Rauschenbach is a Youngstown local and an artist of all trades, working in oils, watercolors, sculpting, printmaking and others. Rauschenbach is attending the event under his studio’s name, Rauschenbach Studios.
Rauschenbach will be bringing to the market prints of his watercolor paintings, woodblock prints, ceramics, photographs, postcards and T-shirts — or, as Rauschenbach put it, everything he makes.
“My biggest goal is to promote everyone who does creative endeavors,” Rauschenbach said. “I think Youngstown gets us in the door. It cuts out the middleman. … We’re the biggest thing to happen to Youngstown since the Hopewell Furnace. We’re going to do something a lot better for this area than steel.”
Melissa D’Apolito founded Lola Bean’s Boutique a year ago, starting off as an Etsy store.
Lola Bean’s Boutique offers a variety of vintage clothing from the 1930s to the early 1990s.
“I think we all bring different and unique things to the market,” D’Apolito said. “I think it will be a great collaboration.”
D’Apolito started Lola Bean’s Boutique as a hobby, visiting secondhand stores, estate sales and thrift shops to acquire clothes of decades past.
Since its conception, Lola Bean’s Boutique has participated in a variety of pop-up events.
“I’m actually really, really excited,” D’Apolito said. “I think Youngstown is ready for something new.”
Bill Youngman, also known as Bill O’Rly, is one of the founding members of Youngstown Famous — a collaborative project intended to emerge as a brand. Youngman is currently acting as the creative principal of Youngstown Famous, working with local artists Courtney Waskin and Kelly Borton.
“Events like this are integral to supporting local artists and supporting local economies,” Youngman said. “It’s a win-win for everybody and I hope to see more pop-ups in Youngstown. We certainly have the space for it.”
Youngman will be bringing the Youngstown Famous line of apparel to the pop-up market. The line includes shirts depicting the late Jim Traficant, jewelry fashioned from Idora Park tickets, etched beer steins and various prints.
“I’m looking forward to the event and meeting the new vendors,” Youngman said. “I spend a lot of time making things, and it is always nice to see it come together on display — even better to see others looking at it.”
Wicks & Fifth is a self-sufficient beauty and body product manufacturer. Wicks & Fifth creates their products from beeswax — from their own bees. Their products include, but are not limited to, beard oil, perfume, lip balm and body butter.
Squirrel Paws creates watercolor postcards and handmade dream catchers.
Seno said that she already has two vendors lined up for next month’s prospective market.
“I kind of want this to be a monthly thing,” Seno said. “I was hired to develop programming for the gallery, and I’m trying to make all of our events happen so people expect a certain thing to happen around the same time each month. I think that we are growing into something that could bring more attention here to the building.”