ERIE – Customers stand in line to shop at Baycreek & Co.  

Located at 9770 S. Dixie Hwy., the monthly market offers a variety of items including vintage finds, handmade goods, small batch made snacks and drink mixes, boutique clothing, candles, home decor, reclaimed, painted and new furniture, knitted goods and jewelry.

In 2016, Jeanette Capler was looking for a place to sell her hand-painted furniture and handmade goods when she stumbled upon the opportunity to open her own shop.

“I mentioned this to a friend of mine, the tenant to the building we currently rent,” Jeanette Capler said in an email. “I had no idea she was ready to downsize her business and had been thinking about moving her business to her barn.”  

Capler and her fiancé, Michael Bash, had to make a quick decision that would ultimately change their lives.

“Retail buildings in Erie, Michigan are a huge and rare opportunity and here we were being offered the keys to one,” she said. “The next day, I was talking details with the landlord and putting the bills in my name. This was a very scary step because, at the time, Mike and I worked full time and we had no idea who was going to help us run the business day to day.”

The couple soon realized with their work schedules and budget, operating their new business on a daily basis was not an option.

“We decided to open once a month and use our vacation days and personal days to work shifts, make things, and promote the shop,” Capler said. “The idea of a four-day event once a month was completely accidental and something I had never heard of.  Most shops are open regular hours on a weekly basis. But this monthly four-day event has given us the opportunity to create a shopping experience like no other shop. It also allows us to spend many hours meeting customers in the shop because we are only open four days a month.”  

The shop hosts regular and guest vendors each month. Some vendors specialize in reclaimed and upcycled pieces and some create their items by hand. 

“We also curate new goods by attending home decor markets and shopping handmade businesses that wholesale their products to small businesses,” Capler said.

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Their second location, Baycreek Design House, located at 2147 Manhattan Street, carries designer furniture and goods.

“Think restoration hardware and Pottery Barn,” she said. “This second location is full of reclaimed and heirloom quality furniture, curated decor and art and new this year are the foods we offer. We offer a selection of small batch made snacks, dips and cocktail mixes made from small businesses from all around the world.”

Capler estimates 60% of the shop’s patrons are returning customers.

“It’s grown into something that brings together friends and families for a once-a-month meeting to shop, get inspired and hang out with us. Many of our regular customers feel like old friends,” she said.

The Christmas season is the market’s busiest time of year and the shop opens three times in six weeks.

Capler and her 14 employees are gearing up for the next market scheduled Nov. 16-19 followed by the last market of the year, Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

“It’s a very hard and busy six weeks for the makers and the staging team but we have managed to make it work for the last three years,” she said. “Every market brings new goods and displays. We completely reset both shops every month and work hard to inspire our customers with creative decor and encourage them to have fun decorating their homes.”

Despite loving to be able to have full creative control of her business, Capler admits this year the economy has been difficult for small businesses like hers but it’s offered the opportunity to step back and try new things.

“I love getting to take out walls, paint walls, build big displays, curate the goods we carry and find small businesses to work with that fit our aesthetics,” she said. “The Baycreek brand is about connecting with the community and offering our best all the time. These things are a top priority for me.”

The Erie resident is grateful for community support and a loyal customer base.

“Whether it’s by shopping with us, sharing our social media posts, bringing new friends or just a kind word of encouragement when they are at the shops, it’s very special and something we never take for granted,” she added.

More information about Baycreek & Co. along with upcoming market hours can be found at Baycreekandco.com or Facebook.com/baycreekandco