As Sweet Georgia Sound launches into a swinging set of big band tunes on the Lodge Cast Iron Sizzle Stage, a swell of humanity fills the First Horizon Pavilion. The sky is a cloudless blue, the air is warm and smells of grilled burgers, and the Chattanooga Market is teeming with artists, bakers and craft makers, all eager to relieve shoppers of their winter earnings.
It’s opening day at the Chattanooga Market, and the usual suspects are on abundant display. Tables heaving with baked goods, handmade candles arranged in neat rows, and ceramics placed just so on shelves are ready for the coming stampede.
A hot sauce salesman is warming up his pitch. A photographer is hanging a final piece of framed imagery. And a hog farmer is placing tiny paper cups containing samples of his sausage on a table, hoping the spicy aroma will lure customers to his booth.
Visitors to this annual celebration of local commerce can sweep through the market, stopping at their favorite spots to purchase goat’s milk hand cream or a pair of turquoise earrings, and then leave, pleased with their purchases. Or they can proceed gradually, searching for hidden treasure like Indiana Jones unearthing the lost Ark of the Covenant.
The second group of shoppers are raiders of a lost art – browsing, a practice that can yield unexpected rewards. Among these are the fabled wood flowers of Lolly Lou.
Carved blooms
No open-air market would be complete without a few vibrant explosions of tulips, daffodils, sunflowers, lilacs and marigolds. Booths selling homegrown flowers are the very heart of local bazaars, as visitors of the Chattanooga Market discover.
But there’s a downside to purchasing an aromatic bouquet of zinnias, for example: their decline from bold, cheerful blossoms to dry, wilted petals. Mom will light up when she sees her arrangement on Mother’s Day, but garbage day is just around the corner.
Flowers from Lolly Lou’s Luxe Designs are not destined for the trash. Hailing from Crossville, Natalie Stendardo crafts lifelike floral wonders out of shaved balsa wood. Once painted and conditioned, her flowers bear an uncanny resemblance to the real thing. Best of all, they’ll never lose their luster, so they can continue to brighten mom’s space long after she would have tossed an organic bouquet.
While Lolly Lou’s Luxe Designs offers an enduring alternative to fresh flowers, they’re not the only unique pearls to be found at the Chattanooga Market. Here are 11 more, giving adventurous shoppers a perfect dozen quests to complete.
Serpentine charm
Dragons have never been completely out of style, but their appearances in “Game of Thrones” and “How to Train a Dragon” placed them high on the pedestal of public adoration.
Dragons embody immense mythic power, and their fire-breathing spectacle is thrilling to watch. However, their use as narrative devices that represent humankind’s primal instincts might be their greatest allure.
Daniel Doyle is a fan of dragons, so when he saw a set of cake toppers his daughter had made using a 3D printer, a small business was born.
In a word, Doyle’s creations are unreal. Their scales and texture mimic reptilian skin; their claws, horns and teeth have a fearsome look; and their segmented wings and joints are irresistibly tactile. Sitting in a massive horde on Doyle’s table, they sparkle in the sunlight like an army of polished jewels, their magic drawing children young and old out of the passing stream.
Doyle encourages the spellbound to pick up, examine and play with his dragons and other creations, which include dragonflies, dragon eggs and more. He’s also pleased to sell them to anyone brave enough to take them home.
Mushroom mama
Visitors who turn a certain corner at the Chattanooga Market might think they have stepped into a cinematic thriller about nature gone mad. From freakish fungi with twisted stems to clusters of mushrooms with tiny monster hats, these forest-floor horrors might seem too strange to exist. But don’t worry; this is merely the harvest bounty of Gowin Valley Farms.
This female-owned family farm in Rocky Face, Georgia, produces gourmet mushrooms destined for dinner plates, coffee cups, salt shakers and dropper bottles. From Chestnuts and King Trumpets to Black Pearls and Pink Oysters, Emma Reigel cultivates a variety of fungi that can be eaten fresh, sauteed with chicken or steak, and used to produce coffee, honey, seasoning and medicinal extracts.
Reigel cultivates her mushrooms in an indoor laboratory located on her grandfather’s farm. She grows them “spore to fruit,” which is mushroom farmer–speak for “no shortcuts.” Just as important, Gowin Valley Farms is a Certified Naturally Grown operation that uses only USDA organic products.
The result? Mushrooms that provide robust flavors and numerous health benefits, says Reigel. While the FDA has not confirmed the curative qualities of mushrooms, bottles of Gowin Valley Farms’ extracts tout their ability to improve cognitive, heart and digestive health, among other wonders.
Maybe, but some people are still going to recoil from the Lion’s Mane, which looks like a fuzzy cauliflower.
Island heatwave
Barbadian cuisine is a blend of African, British and Caribbean influences characterized by its use of fresh ingredients, vibrant spices and seafood. Chattanoogans who want to experience the flavors of the island country can find a port of call at the Chattanooga Market, where Akila Thomas sells her Gitts Bajan Pepper Sauce, which can add a fiery kick to salmon, meatloaf, hot wings and more.
Thomas veers off the beaten path with her Gitts Hot Vinegar, a special variety of vinegar she infuses with thyme, habanero, garlic and seasoning. She tells her customers it will ignite their palates and directs them to GittsPepperSauce.org, where she’s published several easy-to-prepare recipes that use her concoctions.
If Thomas’ vinegar tastes as playful as its lightbulb-shaped bottle looks, then Chattanoogans can take her at her word.
Back to flavor
John Holler says Bee Creek Farm in Crossville uses “no ‘cides, no pharma and no GMO.” In other words, Holler eschews pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, utilizes no biotechnologies, and produces no genetically modified products. Rather, his steak, chicken and pork are as natural as natural can be, he says.
But are they good? Uncommonly so, judging by the samples Holler provides when he’s selling sausage, pork chops and bratwurst. Holler raises Heritage breed hogs (meaning they have not been crossbred with modern breeds), which he feeds a soy-free organic grain. Unlike bland and lean grocery store pork, his chops are marbled and red, like steak, and have a rich flavor.
Apparently, what Holler’s animals eat matters, making Bee Creek Farm products a rare find at the Chattanooga Market.
A cup of comfort
Shoppers might do a double-take as they shuffle past the Mad House Ceramics booth and sweep their eyes over Madelyn Momchilov’s display of homespun bowls, plates, spoon rests, wine cups and boob mugs.
Yes, boob mugs, just like the sign in Momchilov’s booth says.
Reactions to the anatomically accurate jade green cups will vary, but Momchilov assures everyone who asks that her reasons for making them are wholesome.
“I make them because of why people buy them,” she says. “People will purchase one for a friend or a family member who had breast cancer or a mastectomy. Or they’ll buy one for a new mom or a lactation consultant. Some women even buy one because it looks like they do.”
The mugs are undoubtedly crafted with elegance. They feature a tapered top, a wide base and a gracefully curved handle. The smooth, rounded design, combined with a comfortable grip, makes them perfect for savoring a warm beverage.
Curious shoppers also inquire about Momchilov’s uterus mugs, but that’s another story.
Watercolor for everyone
The Chattanooga Market is home to several talented artists who create works far beyond the reach of beginners – or even the average person. But Konstantin Chinkov sells something different: a product designed to make people think, “Hey, I could do that.”
Chinkov is the creator of “Wondering Watercolor,” a series of watercolor books featuring his hand-drawn scenes from Chattanooga, Europe and beyond. From the iconic Chattanooga Choo Choo to charming Italian streets and playful animals, each book contains sketches that invite buyers to transform them into vibrant works of art.
Chinkov’s illustrations are printed on sturdy watercolor paper, and each book comes with a QR code that loads tutorial videos he created himself – like Chattanooga’s very own Bob Ross. The books also include a clear guide to the supplies needed, making “Wondering Watercolor” a fun and accessible activity for both children and adults and a one-of-a-kind product at the Chattanooga Market.
Picture perfect moment
Many photographs of the Walnut Street Bridge offer a familiar perspective: looking north from the southern end. This angle highlights the bridge’s unique combination of small and large diagonal braces, which form a repeating pattern of triangles that extends the length of the structure.
One day, photographer Steven Llorca added a creative twist to that classic shot. After an afternoon rain, he returned to the bridge, lowered his camera close to the surface, and captured the bridge’s reflection in a large puddle of water.
“As a graphic designer, I’m drawn to the bridge and the way it interacts with the river. These elements create patterns that fascinate me. If something speaks to me, I hope it also speaks to others.”
Llorca’s photograph – which market visitors can find for sale in his booth –highlights a challenge that construction crews are working to resolve: poor drainage. Once renovations are complete, his image will serve as a visual reminder of the improvements made to the iconic Chattanooga landmark.
Labor of love
From the heart of Indiana comes a rare and exceptional treat: 100% pure, barrel-aged maple syrup.
Burton’s Maplewood Farm has preserved the tradition of crafting pure maple syrup since the 1800s. Tim Burton carries on that legacy today, personally tending to the sugar maple trees and tapping each one with precision and care.
To set his syrups apart, Burton ages the syrup in used barrels from distilleries nationwide, each of which offers a distinctive character. Whether it’s Tennessee Whiskey barrels used for Devil’s Cut, Utah’s High West, Colorado’s Breckenridge Bourbon, or Indiana’s Starlight Applejack Brandy, the syrup ages for 18 months, absorbing the notes of each cask.
While Burton hasn’t created a Chattanooga-aged batch yet, it remains an enticing prospect as he continues to refine his craft.
Crafted with care
Every Sunday at the Chattanooga Market, Phil and Martha Baerreis of Murphy, North Carolina, set up their booth like clockwork. At 82 and 78, they’ve become fixtures at the market, much like the bandsawn boxes they make.
Bandsaw boxes are small wooden containers, crafted using a bandsaw to cut intricate shapes and drawers from a single block of wood. With no need for traditional joinery, they allow for freeform designs that blur the line between functional craft and art — something the Baerreises have embraced.
Many years ago, as Martha tells the story, Phil made a set of shelves for her. The first bandsawn box followed soon after – and they never looked back.
Each box has a name and a story. One of their newest creations, “Steadfast,” is a response to the current political climate, Martha says. “It’s a strong tree that’s not going anywhere.”
Just like them.
Berry-infused brilliance
Deep in South Carolina’s Whippoorwill Woods, Marissa Paykos stumbled upon an idea that changed her life. One summer, after picking an overwhelming amount of blueberries, she dried them, wondering what to do next.
Inspired by the simplicity of creating craft cocktails at home, Marissa developed Dry Craft Cocktail Jars – a clever way to mix exceptional drinks with minimal fuss.
Paykos’ creations, from Winter Spice Negroni to Caramel Apple Pie Smash, have become favorites at the Chattanooga Market. The jars contain all the necessary ingredients except alcohol, allowing customers to simply add their favorite liquor and refrigerate for three days to create a base for an exquisite cocktail.
Paykos wanted make cocktail crafting accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Now people in Chattanooga are enjoying the fruits of her business, one jar at a time.
Best biscuit ever
Darien Stathakis always knew baking was her passion. Growing up in Knoxville, it was the only thing she excelled at. However, after working for food trucks, restaurants and caterers, she yearned for something of her own. Then an idea struck her during her final project at the Culinary Institute of America: frozen baked goods.
While Stathakis aspired to sell dough to individuals and businesses, she also had bills to pay, so she also started selling freshly baked goods through Bake That Dough, her Knoxville-based bakery.
Now Stathakis is bringing her baked goods and frozen dough to the Chattanooga Market, where her cheddar chive biscuits are a hit. Made with a not-so-secret ingredient – butter – their fluffiness is perfect for biscuit sandwiches with eggs and bacon, she says. Scenic City customers can’t get enough of her cookies and cinnamon buns, either.
From wood flowers to frozen biscuit batter, these 12 singular finds are merely the tip of the iceberg. With perseverance, and occasional breaks to rest and refuel, Chattanoogans can surely discover more.
The hunt will continue each Sunday this summer and fall from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the pavilion. Fedora and bullwhip are not required – but might help.