The Mall of NH in Manchester mostly houses national retailers, but shoppers can also visit a store solely selling goods by everyday Granite Staters. The Manchester Craft Market launched in 2017 after artists implored owner Jessica Moores to turn her pop-up shop for creatives into a full-scale brick-and-mortar operation.
“We moved into an old pet store in the mall and opened with about 70 local artists,” Moores says. “Now, almost 10 years later, we have 250.” Items range from dog treats, books hollowed out in the center for storage and all kinds of home décor—things seen at craft fairs and farmers markets around the state. The difference is the Manchester Craft Market is open year-round.
An operating schedule like that proves advantageous during the winter holidays, Moores notes. “In December alone, we sell as much as we do in January through November,” she says.
Unlike most stores that buy products from suppliers, Manchester Craft Market is a rentable shop space for NH artisans. Moores says she thinks of this as being a mall within the mall.
The store takes 10% of each sale total from January to October, then 15% during the peak holiday season in November and December. Vendors are also asked to pay a membership fee. It’s a model Moores says mall management likes to emphasize as a “poster child for small business success” in a place that’s traditionally a hub for nationwide brands.
This success includes the artists. Moores says they’ve cultivated their creations from hobbies into livelihoods, especially as people began looking into new skills amid pandemic boredom or following the shuttering of their own businesses.
Lately, Moores is witnessing further change as works created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) are appearing in the arts and crafts sphere, stoking concerns about plagiarism and the human aspect of creating art. But, you won’t see that at the Craft Market.
“We have a pretty stringent anti-AI policy that people are loving right now,” Moores says. “A few things have snuck into the store, so we’re revamping that policy. Once I know there’s none in here for sure, then I’ll [promote] that.”
