When interest in handcrafted items began to sweep the country in the early 1970s, festival planners were quick to recognize the importance of incorporating this activity into the Grape & Fall Festival. Thus the birth of the Street Market.
The First market had 65 vendors and has grown steadily to an average of 130 vendors annually. Thousands of shoppers, sightseers, and visitors browse the booths displaying a wide variety of home style sewing crafts, candles, woodworking, stained glass, bee keeping, gardening, and other unique hobbies and pastimes. An abundance of food and drink make the Street Market an annual pilgrimage during the Festival.
Located outdoors on the Plaza of downtown St. James, the market consumes East Washington Street between Seymour and Jefferson Streets and Parker Street between Wilson Lumber Company and John F. Hodge High School.