Former Payless Shoe Shop In Jersey City Is Transformed Into Weekly Local Artisan Market

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City native Brittany Graziosi has fond memories of taking the bus to Journal Square with her great grandmother three decades ago.

"I would come here in the '90s with my great grandmother until her death in 2004," she said this week. "I grew up in the Greenville section of Jersey City, so we would take the bus down here on Saturday mornings."

Over time, Graziosi began handmaking her own items to sell, starting the Antisocial Jewelry Company in 2010. She's also founded crafts and vendor markets, including the most recent effort, currently being held in a former Payless ShoeSource store in Journal Square.

But while Journal Square is currently experiencing a rebirth — with thousands of apartments, condos, and restaurants growing in the neighborhoods around the PATH train station — word is sometimes slow to get out about local artists and small businesses.

"I’ve been running vendor events for many years now," Graziosi said this week. "Right before COVID I opened a retail store front to consign with local vendors, but unfortunately the pandemic shut me down. This space will ideally become a small business hub where vendors can pop up and reach local consumers without the risks of a brick and mortar lease or massive overhead. I’m excited to be in the Square."

Her artisan market runs at 2845 Kennedy Blvd., around the bend from the transit station. It will soon include themed events, such as "Jersey City Oddities: An Odd Holiday" on Dec. 10.

"We plan to resume in January with pop culture fair on the 13th and a vintage market on the 21st," she said, "and hope this can become a permanent vendor space."

Local artist Amy Wilson recently said in her newsletter, Neighborhood Character, "She has a fantastic crew of vendors assembled selling everything from wood crafts to bath bombs and soaps and everything in between ... This is exactly the sort of event I’d love to see more of in JC: local, small businesses coming together, providing shoppers with an alternative to Amazon, etc. while also supporting local makers in our city."

Follow the market at @makerssquaremarket on Instagram, and see more details in the flyer below.

And do you have an event, market, show or something else coming up? You can post your event for free on Patch in Jersey City, Hoboken, and other nearby towns. Follow these instructions to post your event or release.