Find deals, unique items at Geneseo State Street Market

Shoppers can find plenty of deals at the ninth annual State Street Market in Geneseo on Saturday, October 5 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Zack Sullivan, Executive Director of the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to share what makes the event special.

“It’s one of our favorite fall traditions,” he said. “It’s going to feature over 60 curated vendors, so lots of shopping options, especially if you want to get a little early holiday shopping done or maybe find the perfect fall décor. We have a wide variety of vendors, from apparel and clothing to gifts and home decor. There’s also a lot of food vendors, both food trucks as well as some food you can take home. There’s a lot of different types of vendors who are there that I think appeal to a wide variety of interests of our guests.”

The market is so popular, they had to turn away vendors this year, Sullivan said. “We had 110 applicants, and we had to turn away 50 good vendors. That’s just because of the size of the market. There’s a lot of vendors who express interest, so what we try to do is we try to bring back some of the vendors that our market guests enjoy from year to year. We also try to bring in some new vendors, all of whom come from within about 100-mile radius of Geneseo.”

He says the market is also a way for local businesses to showcase their offerings. “I would put the Downtown Geneseo shopping and dining district up against any shopping retail center in the region. We have an occupied downtown full of wonderful shops and gift stores, full of excellent restaurants, where you can get some of the best food. All of our stores are going to be open, ready to greet our guests during State Street Market.” Live music from Angela Meyer and Bobby Ray Bunch will keep the shopping atmosphere festive.

Sullivan says there’s one issue that can cause headaches for shoppers – parking. “We’re expecting 7000 to 8000 people at State Street Market and there’s 6500 people who live in Geneseo. We do encourage people, if they’re local, to walk. Be advised, you may have to walk a few blocks to get to the market, but we also have parking available at the Geneseo Moose Lodge, and there will be a trolley that will be shuttling people from the Moose to downtown Geneseo.”

He says the market is a great way to support local businesses. “We’re excited that this market has continued to grow. It’s no secret that it’s been a little rough for retail this year with the economy, but this is one of those events that really allows our businesses to put their best foot forward. It’s an opportunity for shoppers to support local businesses; 67 cents of every dollar that is spent locally stays in our community, and that carries a lot of weight, especially in Geneseo, with so many small businesses that are run locally by families.”

Click here to visit the State Street Market’s Facebook page.

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