PopShop Market Pops Up in Fairfield Center Saturday

A bit of Brooklyn flair will hit Fairfield Saturday when PopShop Market takes over the Fairfield Theatre Company's parking lot and warehouse.  

PopShop Market -- the brainchild of three Fairfield residents --is a European-style open-air popup market that will feature more than 50 top-curated vendors spanning all sorts of industries, from food to drink and jewelry to antiques.  

Andrea Espach, Ashley Kane, and Kelly Scinto were inspired by Brooklyn Flea, which operates weekly flea markets in the borough.  

While the flea markets in Brooklyn are fun to visit, "we wanted something like that where we live," Espach said.  

So the three women decided to create a similar experience in Fairfield.  

"There's a great market here," Espach said, adding that she and her friends would drive or take the train to Brooklyn for the flea markets -- why not just create one in town?  

The idea began formulating in December, Espach said. "We just ramped up since then."  

Area businesses and vendors were clearly receptive to the idea, though the task of finding merchants seemed daunting at first, Espach said.  

But more than 50 -- including Fairfield's Local Meatball and A Little Square -- will partake in Saturday's festivities.  

Vendors include purveyors of antique and repurposed furniture, artwork, beauty
products, jewelry, and clothing by local artists, designers and merchants, according to a release from PopShop Market's founders. Find a list of vendors here.

There will also be a mini famers market with food vendors selling produce, meats, fishes, dairy, baked goods, and dessert.  

The market will have "something for everyone," Espach said.    

Stamford's Half Full Brewery and the Black Rock Yacht & Athletic Club will supply beer and Bloody Marys for the market's signature BarCar.    

Other food and drink vendors include the LobsterCraft, Cowabunga, Fryborg, and Taco Pacifico food trucks, as well as the Local Meatball.  

Kids will find their own chalk and bubble station. The market will also supply a treat and water place for dogs.  

"There's plenty to look at and taste," Espach said.   PopShop Market will be set up on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fairfield Theatre Company. The cofounders plan to pop up again in November for a holiday-inspired market. The location has yet to be determined, Espach said, but it will be somewhere in Fairfield.  

There could be a wedding-themed PopShop Market come March 2014, too. Espach said she, Scinto, and Kane hope that they can work with their vendors to hold workshops -- like a jewelry making class -- in between PopShops.  

Keep up with PopShop Market by checking the website and following PopShop on Twitter and Facebook.