‘Mission-driven boutique’ to open in downtown State College, showcasing central PA artists

Downtown State College’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza will add another storefront to its ranks when The Makery Market opens its doors on Friday.

Owner Amy Frank will hold a grand opening celebration for her latest endeavor during First Friday. It’s located next door to Frank’s The Makery , a nonprofit art studio that also has a space inside the Bellefonte Art Museum.

The new market was described in a press release as a “mission-driven boutique” featuring goods from more than 50 central Pennsylvania artists. It will also provide employment for young women transitioning out of foster care through its Market Apprentice Program.

The apprentice program is coordinated in partnership with the Centre County Youth Service Bureau, and only women ages 16-21 living in the YSB’s residential facilities are able to apply.

Frank wrote in an email to the CDT that the idea to create this apprentice program stemmed from her own background.

“Growing up, my family was a foster family and it was a wonderful and formative experience,” Frank wrote. “Over the last four years, I have had the privilege of volunteering and spending time with the young women of Stormbreak Group Home located in downtown State College. Stormbreak is one of many important programs run by the Youth Service Bureau and serves girls ages 12-18 as they transition out of foster care.”

She added that she is “consistently impressed by the strength, resilience, and character of these young women” and that she hopes that through her apprentice program, the young women will get to “build skills, find support and most importantly, experience real community” before transitioning into adult life.

Each person selected, following interviews with Makery Market staff, will be a part of the program for 12-24 months and will get to experience community-building and transition-oriented opportunities such as potluck dinners, open studio sessions and other events that are “designed to gradually craft a tight-knit community of warmth and stability.”

Aside from the apprentice program, Frank hopes that the market will also create another showcase for the community to easily view the talents of local, county-based creatives.

Makery Market is located at 121 S. Fraser St., and Friday’s opening celebration will take place from 6-8 p.m. The market’s regular hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and from noon-4 p.m. on Sundays.

More information about the Makery Market can be found on Downtown State College’s website , or by visiting the Makery’s Instagram or Facebook pages.

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