Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce calling this year's Night Mart season a success

Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce officials are celebrating what was described as a successful Night Mart season.

Night Marts are the summer vendor and artist gatherings the last Friday of June, July and August in Sewickley’s business district.

Organizers estimate between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the final Mart of the year Aug. 29.

Total number of visitors from all three days was estimated between 6,000 and 9,000.

“Everything went really well,” chamber Executive Director Erica Parr said. “There was great energy, strong participation and wonderful feedback from vendors, residents, Main Street businesses and visitors from all over.

“The additional space on Walnut (Street) gave us some much-needed breathing room, which allowed guests to enjoy the band and dancing, while also providing more space for shopping with vendors. It created a much better traffic flow overall.”

About 30 artisans and more than 20 food vendors participated each month.

Artisans included Closet Rehab, East Wheeling Clayworks, Steel City Salt Co, Wander & Root, The Painter’s Nest, Veloura Vintage, Found Woodworks, WhipQuilling, Sweet Water Decor, Flower Child, and Paws in the Sand Pet Treats.

Food vendors included PGH Crepes, All Things Epanada, Slurp-N-Burst Boba Tea, Three Dogs Alaskan Salsa, Wood Stoked BBQ, BREW3D, El Calibri, Inside Out Cookie Co., Piebird, Elk and Hound, Fermata Brewing and Mad Macs.

Live entertainment was provided by Boom Rockets, James Tobin Music and Crucible.

One of the newest vendors was Purrfect Little Art. Launched in 2021 by Sari Castro of Pittsburgh’s Regent Square, it features handmade stationery specializing in dental art and cat art. She took part in the late August mart.

Castro said she found out about Night Mart through Instagram.

“It was one of the best markets that we’ve done so far this year,” Castro said. “I looked up Sewickley and it seemed like such a beautiful town. I know that we’ve been there a few times. It looked so nice and so pretty and might be a good opportunity for us.”

They brought some apparel, pouches, notepads and other materials.

Castro said she first started designing stationary years ago for her sister, Vanessa Castro, while she was in dental school.

Appointment reminders later blossomed into cartoon teeth and dental tools depicted on bookmarks, key chains and more. The cat line is inspired by Sarah Castro’s 2-year-old brown tabby, Tino.

“People absolutely loved it,” Castro said of the Night Mart response. ”They kept saying, ‘We see a lot of dog stuff, but we don’t see a lot of cat stuff.’ I think that’s why people really liked it.”

She also commended Carr and the chamber for having a well-organized event.

“There was so much instruction, people directing us to the spot,” Castro siad. “The fact the street was closed a whole three hours before the event. This is awesome. I want to come back here.”

Sewickley police and firefighters were at every mart assisting with traffic and crowd control.

Major sponsors included First National Bank, Encompass Health, Inca Brands, Jill Stehnach with ReMax Select Realty and Howard Hannah.

Parr said her team is not resting on their laurels.

“Our events committee has already met to discuss areas for improvement gathered over the past few months,” she said. “One change we can share now is the addition of improved event signage, maps and wayfinding to help visitors explore the whole town and event. A few other items have been noted as key takeaways and will need to be voted on by the chamber board before being implemented next year.”

Participants and businesses that wish to offer feedback can do so via email to info@sewickleyvalleychamber.org.

Potential sponsors and vendors interested in Night Mart or joining the chamber can contact Parr at execdir@sewickleyvalleychamber.org.