HYDE PARK — If you can’t make the several-hour drive from the South Side to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby this weekend, a group of local entrepreneurs has the next best thing: a free, Derby-themed social and vendor fair.
Marché Privé takes place 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West in Hyde Park. The “luxury” market includes 22 Black, Indigenous and other vendors of color selling fashion products, jewelry, wellness and self-care items, home goods and more.
The Kentucky Derby lends the event its theme, as attendees are encouraged — but not required — to dress in seersucker, bowties, floral prints, vibrant colors or any other reflections of the legendary horse race-slash-fashion show.
“We want people to play it up based on their personal style,” said Brittany Ramsey, an event organizer and founder and CEO of THISISTHECOOKOUT. “Not everybody wants to to put on a whole suit, so maybe they’ll have a graphic tee and a bowtie with some nice sneakers. We want you to bring your personal style and convey it at the event.”
Activities for the day include music by DJ Tess, a grazing table by CharcuterieBrie, cocktails for sale at the bar, a station for welded “permanent” jewelry, tooth gems by Rock Steady Stonez, chair massages by holistic wellness provider Of the Mother and a photo booth.
Attendance is free, but registration is requested. For tickets, click here.
Marché Privé’s roster of vendors reflects a close-knit community of entrepreneurs across the region, said Maureen Crichlow, Marché Privé’s founder and creator of the wellness brand Moonstone Chandlery.
As a Hyde Park resident who’s always shouting her love of the neighborhood “from the rooftops,” there was no question on where the market would be held, Crichlow said. But there was no location requirement for the vendors, who rep “underserved communities” from Woodlawn and South Shore to the greater Chicagoland area, she said.
“We wanted to come together and create something that was fun, immersive and a little over the top for the South Side,” Crichlow said.
The event has its roots in the Hyde Park Handmade Bazaar, a neighborhood institution that’s long served as an affordable launching pad for entrepreneurs.
The bazaar, Marché Privé and the annual Vends and Vibes arts market are accessible ways for business owners to build their customer bases and experiment with their business models, said Peter Gaona, owner of the fashion brand Reformed School and a market organizer.
But there’s a relative lack of similar opportunities on the South Side, and the cost to vend at markets elsewhere in Chicago can be prohibitive, organizers said. That’s a gap Marché Prive is suited to address, they said.
“We’re always trying to show the next generation you don’t always have to work a 9-to-5,” Gaona said. “You can work for yourself and create how you want to live.”
There aren’t concrete plans to run the Marché Privé model back, but organizers “certainly hope” to do so at some point, Crichlow said. They’ll look to flesh out how often they would hold similar markets — and whether it would take on different themes — in the weeks and months ahead, she said.
For now, the focus is on “[reeling] the guests in and [reflecting] our personality” through this weekend’s plethora of vendors, activities and flair, Ramsey said.
“This is us saying to the community, ‘Welcome to our party, welcome to our home, enjoy yourselves and have a great time,'” she said.
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