Lido Village Artisan Market Shines Through the Rain

The rain didn't damper the spirits of vendors, or curiosity of shoppers, at the Lido Village Artisan Market  over the weekend.

Every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Lido Village Artisan Market, which recently teamed up with the Newport Beach Farmer’s Market, offers unique, handmade crafts including soaps, plus vintage finds, fruits, vegetables, clothes, shoes and more.

“It’s funny,” Newport Beach local Abbey Howe said Sunday, fingering the keys of a children’s Remington typewriter. “I stopped by thinking I was just going to get some avocados, but I’ve found so many beautiful little treasures.”

Another woman admired a vintage brass and crystal chandelier that dangled from a tree branch, while another looked through a set of beaded necklaces displayed on an old lamp form.

When the Artisan Market, a reincarnation of the now-gone Pelican Courtyard Open Air Market, outgrew its venue last summer, founder Kathy Shaw saw it as an opportunity to expand. Each week, she organizes a diverse grouping of passionate local vendors and artists to join the Newport Farmer’s Market. This time, vendors offered everything from hand-thrown pottery to WWII-era handbags to handmade pillows and textiles.

“Helping each other is the main thing,” Shaw said. “It’s all about working together to promote each other, because we really do have something for everyone.”

Shaw posts a bio of the upcoming weekly vendors on the market’s Facebook page so that shoppers can keep in touch with the ones they like. Since vendors rotate weeks, each visit to the market provides something new for shoppers.

“It’s always fun to be out meeting people,” says Elaine Chambers, of Casa de Luxe Vintage, a collection of antiques with a distinct California flair. “That’s the best part. There’s so much to see.”

Want to go? The Lido Village Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday at 3420 Via Opporto in Newport Beach.

-Rayna Jensen