Local artists, crafters show off their stuff as hundreds flock downtown for Mod Shop

Gray skies didn’t deter bright-eyed shoppers from filling downtown streets for the fourth annual Mod Shop.

The independent artists and crafters market brought hundreds out on a damp Saturday night to stroll along J Street and stop at shops hosting vendors. The event has become a kickoff to the holiday shopping season for the area and also wraps into the larger national Small Business Saturday campaign to get customers to shop at locally owned establishments.

Indeed that local and unique aspect to the market, which featured more than 90 vendor booths spread across 10 participating businesses, is what keeps bringing shoppers like Modesto husband and wife Steven and Jennifer Finch back year after year.

“Everything is a one-off. It’s not something you’ll find in stores and not what everyone else has,” Steven Finch said. The couple had already purchased some hand-knitted gloves and were looking for more gifts to give.

The event has grown over its four years, spreading to more stores and adding vendors. But co-founder Kate Trompetter, who organizes the event with Ruhi Sheikh and Tricia Rosenow, said their goal isn’t growth but community involvement.

“I think people like it because it feels good down here. I think people like that it is downtown. I think we’re doing a good job of making it feel like a community,” Trompetter said.

Besides the booths selling everything from scarves to earrings and ornaments to soaps, the festivities included live music and food from local restaurants, bakers and caterers for sale. At Downtown Tinkertank, visitors enjoyed an inflatable forest of trees that lit up in various colors.

This is the third year young crafters have participated as part of the Mini Mod Shop. Organizers don’t solicit crafters and artists, instead relying on people asking to join. New this year was Tammy Jo Schoppet, a Modesto potter who also runs her own YouTube channel called Hobby Potter. She had gone to Mod Shop last year and then applied for her own booth this year.

“When I went last year I couldn’t believe this was Modesto. There were so many people shopping downtown. It just has a really good vibe going,” she said.

This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 7:21 PM with the headline "Local artists, crafters show off their stuff as hundreds flock downtown for Mod Shop."