Local couple celebrates ten years of supporting artisans through Carrboro Bazaar

On Sunday, the Carrboro Bazaar held their sixth event of the year: The Holiday Bazaar. The decade-long tradition is hosted at the Carrboro Commons—a rustic outdoor venue in Chapel Hill’s neighboring town. 

Over thirty vendors at the Bazaar congregated to ring in the beginning of the holiday season with a lively day of outdoor fun, food and local art. 

The Bazaar was pioneered by Meg and Duncan Morgan, a local couple who were approached by the Town of Carrboro to start a local craft market ten years ago. Together, the couple fosters a welcoming environment for artists of all experience, ages and backgrounds to celebrate each other’s work and spotlight their talent.

Meg and Duncan Morgan have seen many smaller artisans flourish and expand to other markets after beginning their careers at their events. 

“We really do love the fact that we've tried to be a jumping off point for people,” said Meg Morgan.

During the bazaar, rows of booths filled with unique, colorful crafts filled the Carrboro Commons as a crowd of local residents inquired with artists about their goods. The event highlights a diverse group of artists with varying specialities including watercolors, pottery, jewelry, fine art, candle making and even a local saucemaker. 

“There's an amazing assortment of amazing makers and creative people that we've been lucky enough to have come out year after year,” said Duncan Morgan. 

Kara Thornton, a UNC graduate from Greensboro, has been selling her handmade pottery at the Bazaar for nine years. She began her career by selling stoneware pottery, and has since experimented with printmaking as a way to share her passion for naturalism, specifically mushrooms. 

“Duncan and Meg, who organize this, they're just wonderful. They prioritize artists, and they do a lot of great promo,” Thornton said. 

Other featured artists included Jessica Brown, a local artist with a passion for crochet, sells “emotional support plushies” through her business 4Stitches Designs, and Erin Hils, a candlemaker from North Carolina has been selling her homemade candles at the Bazaar for eight years. 

Hils said that, as a candle-maker, she appreciates having in-person artist markets.

“It's fun to get out into the community with my candles. Like I sell them online too, but to be able to smell the candles is such an important part of selling them. So I enjoy getting out and doing the in person events for that reason: hearing how people resonate with my scents.” said Hils.

Sonny, the founder of Sonnyboy’s Sauces, brought a completely different craft to the Bazaar—the art of sauce making. Sonny has been selling his original “Spicy Goodness Sauce” at the Bazaar for three years, where his marinade is a major hit. 

While the Bazaar offers a talented display of craftsmanship, what makes the market so special is its call for togetherness. Residents of all ages hula-hoop outside the commons, jubilant music surrounds the area and the delicious smell of food wafts from food trucks nearby. The market is not only a celebration of art — it's a celebration of community.

“People come here. They're always happy, and they're always willing to support the artists that are here” said Brown.

As the day dwindled on, a larger crowd of community members lined the commons to hang out, buy goodies and connect with one another. Duncan and Meg Morgan hoped to create an event that promised an outlet of human interaction in the age of the internet — they certainly succeeded in this regard. 

“It's been a labor of love, but it's been so much fun,” said Meg Duncan.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com