Riverwalk Market Fair Back For Year No. 2

Martha Schuetzle’s baked goods are well known to Northfield foodies: rich cookies, flaky croissants filled with coconut cream, mini-quiches with ham or tomato.

Last year when Schuetzle decided to sell them at the on Saturdays downtown, her hope was that she would could expand her fan base.

“The funny thing about the Riverwalk Market is you always have your regulars, your Northfield people,” she said, “but it seems to get more out-of-town people, too.”

The location, surrounded by the shops of Northfield’s downtown and the Cannon River, the diversity of vendors, including artists, farmers and entertainers makes the market more of an event and boosts tourism, says Schuetzle.

Organizers estimate that 12,000 people attended the market in its inaugural season and the Riverwalk Market is back again this year, from June 4 to Oct. 15.

The market is still taking applications for vendors and its organizers hope to expand, possibly filling both sides of the street with stalls and displays. The market, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is designed to highlight local artisans. Vendors must live within 25 miles of Northfield.

A community event

For Sue Holmquist, who has been selling functional pottery with her husband, Chris, for 35 years, the Riverwalk Market Fair "was a fun, community thing. We loved being part of it."

"The Riverwalk is such a beautiful area," said Holmquist. "It was fun to have people come down to see it."

Holmquist credits organizer and a large group of volunteers for creating a new opportunity for artists to connect with the public and sustaining it through the first year.

"The hours are perfect," she said, "and it gives a lot of people who don't do art fairs a chance to present their work."

Schuetzle agrees that the market is a great opportunity for vendors as well as their customers.

"We’re all in it together. It’s artists and farmers," she said. "I like that both aspects are there. It’s a bigger draw."