West Hartford's WeHa Artists Emporium is turning a private backyard on North Quaker Lane into a one-stop holiday shopping destination again, with nearly a dozen local artists and makers set to sell everything from mixed-media paintings to handmade candles on October 17. The fall ART STOP runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 35 North Quaker Lane, with live acoustic music woven into the afternoon.
A We-Ha News report detailed the lineup of participating artists, including Julie Phillipps of JulieColor, Stefanie Marco of KiNDSPiN DESiGN, Amy Yungk of Stock the Bar Candles, Doug Hockman of Doug Hockman Photography, and Kerri Michaud Bagley of Heartstone Gallery. Also setting up tables will be Monica Whalen of The House She Loved, Kimberly Heil of Art & Books, Julia Czarnecki of Knit by JC, Caresse and Breck of Island of Misfit Crafters, Annie Hayami of Cyanotype Art, and Jeremy Cosin of Jeremy's Frindles, according to the same report. Musician Brett Trottier will provide live acoustic music throughout the event.
Shoppers can expect mixed-media art, watercolor, photography, candles, textiles, handmade goods and books spread across the front lawn and backyard of the residence, the outlet's report notes. There are no public restrooms available on site, and organizers have advised that parking is safest on Milton Street. Should the weather not cooperate, a rain date is set for October 18.
A Decade-Old Collective Behind the Pop-Up
ART STOP is organized by WeHa Artists Emporium, which was co-founded by Stefanie Marco and Julie Phillipps. Marco told the publication that buying from a local artist supports creativity, passion and small business, while Phillipps has encouraged friends and family to attend. The organizers also thanked several local sponsors in connection with the event: Carl Lantz of Coldwell Banker, CT; Marc Nathan of Total Mortgage, CT; Stephanie Marshall of Hang the Moon, Trove and Tidal River Clothing; Michelle DuBois of Max & Lily's Closet; and Kate and Ken McAvoy of Agave.
The collective traces back to September 2014, when Marco and Phillipps launched it alongside several artist colleagues to connect local creators who, until then, lacked a unified town platform, according to We-Ha. Within three months, the group's Facebook network had swelled past 750 members, functioning as both a networking hub for artists and a direct-to-consumer marketplace where town residents could buy original artwork straight from its creators through social media comments.
From Pandemic Yard Trails to a Fixed Neighborhood Market
The ART STOP format has roots in necessity. The concept originally launched in October 2020 as an outdoor neighborhood market designed to give artists a safe outlet to sell work while traditional craft fairs and galleries sat closed during the pandemic, the outlet's report notes. That inaugural Art Trail spanned seven residential locations across West Hartford before organizers eventually consolidated the sprawling format into a single site.
The North Quaker Lane address has hosted these markets since 2020, with lineups of around a dozen artists, per the same account.
Finding Its Place in West Hartford's Arts Scene
The grassroots market also sits alongside more established institutions in town. The West Hartford Art League, a non-profit founded in 1934 by sculptress Rebecca Field Jones and portrait painter Gertrude Patterson, operates across three historic municipal buildings, including a 1750s saltbox farmhouse, giving West Hartford's visual arts scene a 92-year institutional backbone.
With the holiday shopping season approaching, this latest ART STOP offers West Hartford residents a chance to pick up handmade gifts directly from the people who made them, all within walking distance of their own neighborhood.
