“We usually shop only in Celina if we can,” resident Connelly Palmer said.
The outdoor market, which is held every first Friday from March-November along the streets of downtown Celina, first launched in summer 2014 with fewer than 20 vendors. Now, more than triple the number of vendors typically set up shop every month, Communications Director Joe Monaco said.
“Last year, we had around 150 different vendors with a lot of repeat vendors from market to market,” Monaco said in an email.
Breaking it down
The citywide benefits of the Friday Night Markets are difficult to track. Aside from monthly sales tax figures, the city does not have a way to track the economic effects from the event, said Melissa Thomas, interim director for the Celina Economic Development Corporation.
“We have also had event attendees share that they decided to move to Celina after attending a Friday Night Market event,” Thomas said in an email.
Multiple market vendors have been able to open a physical location in Celina in the last 10 years, such as the downtown store Terramania.
Transitioning from vendor to brick-and-mortar business is the goal, Blue Engine Bakeshop owner Andrina Sansing said.
“Right now we're mainly an online business,” Sansing said. “We're looking for a physical location.”
Blue Engine Bakeshop, which offers desserts that are gluten-, dairy- and egg-free, also sells its goods through Granny’s Bakery and has been a vendor for the past four years as a way to further introduce itself to Celina, Sansing said.
“The backbone of our business is our community,” she said.
Sansing, who has been a Celina resident since 2007, said events such as the Friday Night Market not only help businesses like Blue Engine Bakeshop but also bring the city together.
“You're either making new friends, or you're bumping into old friends, or the kids see other kids from school outside of school,” Sansing said. “They're good community events; ... they're definitely important.”
Learn more
Information on the Friday Night Market, including dates and vendor applications, can be found at www.lifeincelinatx.com/fnm.
