Last Friday, Oct. 24, Martha Perkins, owner of Gallery on Park, and Shannon Elliot, owner of Harvey Oak Mercantile, threw their annual Night Market on Park Avenue in the village of Swarthmore. Local vendors and Delaware County artists reserved tents to promote their small businesses, food trucks, and artistic creations. Students and community members swarmed to the avenue for a night filled with pumpkin carving, trinkets, jewelry, and live music.
Perkins and Elliot aren’t new to running craft fairs. “[We] organize and run the Makers Market that has 90-plus vendors, local artists, and makers,” Elliot said. “We were getting so much demand for [crafts events]. We were unable to get a space for everybody. So, [we started throwing] mini makers markets. It’s the businesses in the community, plus small businesses from around that come together.”
Perkins and Elliot are dedicated to accommodating a variety of artistic forms. Walking down Park Ave, each vendor differed from the next in their presentation and offerings. From brownies to clay jewelry, there was no dearth of creativity. “Someone wanted to carve a pumpkin, so we have a pumpkin carving demonstration,” Elliot said. “It’s hard to make everybody happy with different events, but [the market] probably does one of the best jobs of melding together commerce, the community, and having a good night for all.”
The community agreed. Swarthmore residents brought their children, many of them dressed in Halloween costumes. They danced around a small fire pit, while two Swarthmore students, Ben Aaron ’26 and Abbey Peters ’26, passed out free candy. Fitting in theme, Aaron and Peters wore zombie costumes, with pieces they received from the nonprofit thrift store Heart and Soul’d on 14 Park Ave.
Sisters Terry Crossan of Media, PA, and Kristen Mancini of Broomall, PA, opened Heart and Soul’d’s doors in Jan. 2024, aiming to keep prices low. “We’re 100% donation-based,” Crossan said, “Every item you see in the store has been generously donated, and all our profits after we keep the lights on go to foster and adoptive services.” Heart and Soul’d donates to four organizations in Delaware County: Fostering Hope, CASA Youth Advocates, Well Rooted, and Adoptions From The Heart. “We give as much as we can,” Crossan said.
In their first year of operation, the two sisters donated $16,100 to the four charities, and another $11,000 so far in 2025. Additionally, they donated over 150 backpacks and 700 sets of school supplies to Fostering Hope in Delaware County.
“We have been able to help furnish a half dozen aging out foster men and women, because when you turn eighteen in Pennsylvania, you sometimes are asked to leave the home because [foster parents] don’t receive payment for you anymore,” Crossan said. “[When] they move into their first apartment … they get to come here and shop for free in our off hours [to] take anything they want. We’ve given air fryers, crock pots, full sets of dishes, you name it. They can take it. Financially, you can’t put a price on that.”
Crossan, smiling ear to ear, highlighted students’ impact on her store’s success. The sisters face an uphill battle of rising rent costs while continuing to support their charities. Student foot traffic is integral to the store’s success. “[They] are absolutely critical to not only our store, from their shopping, their donations, their laughter, their fun, but also to the community. The community sees a dip in the summer when the students aren’t on campus. We see a dip in our business, but we also see a dip in the amount of community involvement, because the students integrate completely with the downtown. So it’s a vital partnership, truly.”
Supportive customers Aaron and Peters had offered to represent Heart and Soul’d on Crossan’s and Mancini’s behalf. Heart and Soul’d will relocate to 407 Dartmouth on Dec. 31. Crossan encourages students to pass by the yellow door next to Aria Mediterranean Cuisine and give Heart and Soul’d’s new location some love. “It’s going to be a big move, but it’s going to be a great move.”
Following the organizers’ vision, the Night Market connects students with local businesses. Customers met the faces behind the counter, a rare experience in post-pandemic vendor-consumer relationships. With the success of online retailers like Amazon and delivery services like DoorDash, Perkins and Elliot’s event aims to bring local businesses to the forefront.
One Delaware County knitter, Sharon Katrice Brown of Cozy Knits, spoke on the importance of forming artistic connections in the community. “Just start [creating]. Find someone in that community. They have lessons at the libraries and community centers. I didn’t even know the [online] hand-knit community existed, so I [just] started knitting, and [found so many resources]. One of the girls even wrote a book.”
Beginning only a year ago, Brown is relatively new to hand-knitting. In the future, she hopes to create patterns, but currently designs as she knits. However, she said the practice and connection to other creatives have made the learning process simple. Like Perkins and Elliot hoped, the Night Market provided ample opportunity for Brown to meet like-minded artists and buyers. As the sun set, the crowd bought as much as they could carry before entering Ship Bottom Brewery on 5 Park Ave, and Celia Bookshop on 102 Park Ave for warmth.
The event’s success bodes well for future craft markets in the village. Above all, the vendors emphasized student involvement downtown. Perkins encouraged student artists to sell their work through Gallery on Park, while Elliot emphasized Harvey Oak Mercantile’s price flexibility. Crossan and Mancini make accessibility a cornerstone of Heart and Soul’d, keeping their tags as low as possible to accommodate students’ budgets. Brown expressed willingness to create specialty items by request. The community is waiting for students to engage, connect, and create together.
The biannual Maker’s Market runs this Sunday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 90 local artists will sell handmade items, artisanal food, and present live music.
