Ponyride Market returns for summer 2017

s the Corktown home to dozens of artists and small businesses, Ponyride has become an important community space for Detroit makers and creatives. This summer, they’re expanding their reach by introducing a summer series of their popular Ponyride Market.

“This is a first, but we intend for this to be an annual event,” says Erin Patten, Ponyride’s director of retail and marketing. “Hopefully it will be a long-standing tradition at pony ride.”

The Ponyride Market provides a space for the Ponyride residents and other small businesses to sell and promote their products. Their annual holiday market, held in December, typically attracts 2,000-3,000 people each year.

“We had so much success with one weekend. Why not offer this to our makers all year for people who can’t work in our space due to capacity?” Patten says. “We wanted to continue to support the maker community in Detroit.”

The summer market hosts a rotating group of vendors with vintage, salvage and handmade goods in addition to artisan food and drinks. The first market last month included a “good amount of food, jewelry, household goods and clothing” vendors, with about 30 percent of them being black-owned businesses.

“We strongly believe that when you bring together people with strong passions and rooted beliefs in one place, magic will happen,” Patten says.

The summer series continues outdoors – rain or shine – on June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 14.