It felt more like early winter than autumn on Saturday, October 17, when Stylish Patina launched its inaugural Small Biz Fall Market but the mild chill in the air didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for the eclectic gathering of artisans.

More than 25 vendors took part in the outdoor event, blanketing the front lawn and back lot of the fashionable retail boutique run by real estate agent Kelly Thompson in its new address at 301 Park Avenue. The sheer range of offerings was impressive, from jewelry to candles to antiques to sweets and even modern art. It was a unique opportunity to browse so many local businesses all in one place on one day.

“There isn’t anything quite like this in Falls Church or Arlington,” Kelly said of the market, “and with our space just down the street from the Saturday farmers market, it made so much sense … It gives small businesses real exposure to our neighbors, and it gives our neighbors an easy, fun way to shop local.”

Stylish Patina is located just steps from City Hall and this event was coordinated to overlap with the Farmers Market held there every Saturday from 8 a.m. – noon, as well as Little City Sips, which ran that evening from 5 – 10 p.m. That might have meant a long day for the vendors who signed up for the full duration of the market, 9 a.m. through 8 p.m., but the energy was still high when I stopped by in the early afternoon. 

One of the first booths to catch my eye on the front lawn was the innovative Merboh Art Lab, featuring the unique designs of artist Mye Coates. The name Merboh is inspired by a mercantile bohemian aesthetic and her M7 series was on display with a poster and matchboxes that carried the seven geometric designs inspired by the Hermetic Principles. The poster itself stopped me in my tracks. I learned more about the series when I spoke with the artist and her sister, Nikki Coates, who handles Operations Strategy, and I encourage anyone interested to visit their website at merboh.com.

Stylish Patina was, of course, also open for the event, offering unique home décor, clothing, jewelry, and antique furniture across an expanded new space that covers an impressive two floors.

Kelly got her start as a dealer by renting space in established stores and appearing in markets, like Lucketts. “I started Stylish Patina in 2010 with vintage furniture and home décor, and I’m just as passionate about it today,” she said. “I love that vintage is sustainable, but it’s also that curated, collected look. It lets people create a home that actually feels like them, not something straight out of a catalog.”

That vintage aesthetic was on display across a majority of booths including Fair Finds, run by Laura and Patrick Woody, where I found an impressive range of antique treasures at reasonable prices. If you want to check out this business, look no further than the Antique Annex on Broad Street where they maintain a regular booth. 

Also participating in Saturday’s market, the Perla Luz Boutique, run by artist Sofia Rogel-Zuniga (with an assist by mom Pamela Weitz), had an irresistible table with handmade knitted purses in the shapes of animal faces, including a cat and teddy bear. Marbury Green offered a gorgeous array of potted plants, and Slightly Verdant had beautiful wreaths on display. Cherry Hill Tech was selling a unique Daily Calendar Puzzle by HOAK Puzzles with pegs that can be moved to generate a new puzzle every day (available on Etsy). 

There was lots of comfort food for sale, including Kristina’s Swede Treats, who specializes in Swedish cookies and pastries, and Sweets Comfort offering customized cookies and treats, plus the freshly baked goods and fresh florals of Bakes and Blossoms run by Kimberley Haver.

Not edible but visually delicious were the exquisite coffee cups turned into candles by Elizabeth Alves at The Littlest Things Art booth (available at TheLittlestThings.art). The cleverly named Presumed Innoscent displayed their “criminally good candles, soaps & room sprays.” Run by “Lead Detective, Founder & Chandler” Nathan Scott, you can inspect them online at PresumedInnoscents.com.

Drift Away With J was selling nature-inspired art and handmade décor by Sarah and John Magner, which you can also purchase on Etsy. Shoulder Cat Studio was on hand for the day, and they host pottery classes and workshops, which you can find on shouldercatstudio.com. Christine Hughes and her Five Farms Market offered handcrafted candles, room sprays, balms, skin cream and perfumes, also available through fivefarmsmarket.com.

The mobile bookstore, The Wandering Shelf (wanderingshelf.com), set up shop in the back parking lot, next to KJ’s Chatterbox German-American fusion food truck, while a band assembled in a makeshift stage area nearby.

Quite the lineup and I haven’t even named all the vendors yet.

When asked if she plans to run the fall market again, Kelly responded, “Absolutely! The energy this weekend was amazing, and the feedback has been incredible. I’ve gotten so many texts and calls from people telling me how much they loved it and asking us to keep it going. We’re still working out the details, but we’re looking at dates in November and December and will take it from there.”

Celebrating small businesses in Falls Church is important to Kelly. “I was born and raised here, and I really want Falls Church to keep that small-town feel. New businesses coming in are great for the economy, but I don’t want us to lose our roots.” 

She added, “Not everyone can afford a brick-and-mortar store these days. It’s extremely expensive. Markets like this help bridge that gap, and I love being a connector who can make that happen.”

Other vendors participating in this inaugural (but hopefully recurring market) include Raysin’ hell (handmade upcycled pieces and vintage treasures by Audy Ray), Prax & Dai Men (jewelry, nature art, pottery and more at praxanddaimen.com), Wilko Interiors Thrift, The Living Room Runway (featuring Personal Stylist Janene Corrado), Ten Moons Midwifery (ten-moons.com), 13 Sourdough (13sourdough.com), Blumdari Bluesky, Nomini Boards (nominiboards.com), CLOS Vigne (antiques, closvigne.com), Design Collab Studios, Campus Game Day Boutique (apparel), Amanda’s Churn (ice cream, amandaschurn.com), and the Vintage Shell (vintage finds).

I’m already looking forward to the next Small Biz Market!