By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Founded in 2010, the Clover Market is a seasonal, open-air market featuring a rotating lineup of more than 100 vendors offering antiques and collectibles, vintage jewelry and clothing, handmade items and original art, gourmet food trucks, free children's crafts and live music. And beginning on June 18, the market is coming to Kennett Square.

 Just how the Clover Market in Kennett Square came to be was a case of great minds thinking the same ideas at the same time in different places. For several years, Clover Market founder Janet Long and her market manager, Pat Norton, had been looking at Kennett Square as a potential future destination. Over the past six years, with shows in walkable communities such as Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill and Collingswood, N.J., the market has revolutionized the “all-in-one-basket” approach to outdoor shopping, and regularly attracts thousands of visitors. The goal is simple: To provide opportunities for independent and local artisans and dealers to connect with customers and with each other. Because the market is located near main street shopping locations, it’s a natural link to the many businesses that are often just down the street.

The buzz was also coming from a local source.

“I was initially approached about Kennett Square by Tara Dugan, the owner of Scout + Annie and worKS,” said Long, who knew Dugan from past shows at Clover markets. “Tara also sits on the board at Historic Kennett Square, so she was able to connect me to her colleagues there to explore the idea.

“Since I live on the Main Line, I was aware of Kennett Square through social media, and a number of my vendors who live in the area tell me about the great things happening around town.”

The plans then kicked up several more notches when Long and Norton began to discuss the idea with Mary Hutchins and Claire Murray from Historic Kennett Square.

“Pat and I could tell that our interests and style were very well aligned with Mary and Claire,” Long said. “We felt that doing a market in Kennett would allow us to reach a completely different group of customers – and potentially new vendors, too – from Chester County, Delaware and beyond who might not have been able to easily travel to one of our other locations.”

The Market will be held in the Genesis HealthCare parking lot at 600 S. Broad St., which Long said was large enough to accommodate the market, as well as being close to town, with plenty of free parking. Genesis is no stranger to playing host to other large-scale events, having used the space frequently for brewfests and winterfests.

“We will have our usual mix of 100-plus carefully selected vendors,” Long said. “That mix is really a defining characteristic of our event, and sets Clover apart from other shows. I hope those who attend will find that our vendors represent the very best in talent from our broader geographic area, who also have an incredible knack for setting up unique and thoughtfully considered ‘shops’ to showcase their goods.”

Events like Clover Market “are just a completely different experience than sitting at your computer and pressing ‘Buy Now,’” said Long, who has supervised more than 60 Clover Market shows. “It’s so much more meaningful to support a small business owner, face to face, and our customers have told us how much they enjoy that buying experience.”

Clover Market Spring 2017 schedule

April 9: Chestnut Hill (25 W. Highland Ave., Philadelphia)

April 23, May 21 and June 11: Bryn Mawr (7 N. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr)

May 7: Collingswood N.J. (735 Atlantic Ave.)

June 18: Kennett Square (600 S. Broad St., Kennett Square)

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].