New Hancock Cold Season Market offers indoor farmers market experience

HANCOCK, Mich. (WLUC) - Downtown Hancock has a brand-new winter community market available once a week indoors.

Located at Studio Pizza, the Hancock Cold Season Market offers a wide range of goods from a variety of vendors. These include baked goods, fresh produce and soaps.

Organized by Zack Osborn, he said he got the idea following the seasonal closing of Hancock’s Tori and Farmers Market.

He met with vendors to put the cold season market together and with Studio Pizza/Orpheum Theater Owner Boone Fiala to host it in the theatre space.

Boone, who took over operations of the Theater in early 2022, said he has noticed increased traffic in his business during market days.

“We’ve definitely seen more people inside the building and an uptick in business during the hours that the market is going on,” said Fiala. “We kind of entered it as a way to get people in the building and check it out a little bit more than they would have in the past, and it’s been fun to explore.”

Osborn, while the organizer, notes that he continuously works with the vendors to improve the market.

“This independent market has really been a very vendor-centric one, and very much almost like a vendor-cooperative market,” said Osborn. “And any time I make a decision on anything with this market, I’m always talking with all the different vendors first to try and see what works best.”

And due to the available stage, Osborn said he also plans on incorporating live music into the experience.

“At the first Thursday of every month, we’re hoping to have live musical guests or professional hobbyists in the area who play a musical instrument of some sort,” continued Osborn. “If you’re an interested musician, please do reach out to me. We’ll be sure to have a tip jar for you.”

Osborn said due to the adaptability of holding an indoor market, he may consider holding it through the summer.

The market is every Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m.

For any vendors or musicians who would be interested in participating in the market, contact Osborn at zackosborn@gmail.com