Todd Cloe is a West Monroe artist who crafts wooden rings, sculptures and art benches.
He got started in the trade when he made a wooden wedding ring set for his wife who’s allergic to metal.
Now, he spends up to 170 hours creating one of kind benches from reclaimed and distressed wood.
But Cloe doesn’t normally travel around to sell his pieces because the revenue from his work doesn’t cover the cost of fuel and accommodation.
However, that’s changed now that Monroe had it’s grand-opening of Downtown RiverMarket on Saturday.
With thousands in attendance for the first day, people shopped the crafts and food and enjoyed the live music along the Ouachita River.
Market director Adrienne La France said that each Saturday will have a different theme to keep events and vendors fresh.
The Oct. 20 theme will be “Celebrate Louisiana,” and Oct. 27 will be “Oktoberfest,” which will include pumpkin carving and a costume contest for children.
The market has something for everyone, offering everything from live music to fresh produce to holiday home decor.
While the market is very much geared toward providing a shopping and entertainment venue for the local public, it also provides a low-cost opportunity for local entrepreneurs.
“The public market model has sparked commerce opportunities and downtown development in progressive cities across the country,” La France said. “We’re excited that Monroe citizens will now have access to such a venue on our beautiful Ouachita River.”
Like Cloe, Deirdre McGehee is a local artist who benefits from the opening of the Downtown RiverMarket.
McGehee makes high quality handcrafted designer bags that are sold in a few boutiques around Monroe, but she said she normally has to travel far to find other merchant opportunities.
“I’ve been traveling around for a long time, and I’m so excited that Monroe now has this great gift for artists,” McGehee said.
A variety of other artists and vendors were present Saturday.
Double D Farms Country Store of Rayville sold fresh produce, and Landry Vineyards provided wine samplings.
Representatives from Duck Commander sold books and apparel next to ULM’s very own Josh Tolleson who was promoting ticket sales for the day’s football game.
Monroe citizen Bret Munson said he enjoyed the event.
“I’m glad they are making improvements so that Monroe will be a better place to live,” Munson said.
With the goal of attracting local residents and promoting tourism in the area, directors of the Downtown Economic Development District hope it will be a start on completely revitalizing downtown Monroe.
“This market presents a great opportunity for me, and this will revitalize the weekends in downtown Monroe,” Cloe said.
The Downtown RiverMarket is located in Monroe at 316 South Grand on the riverwalk on the Ouachita River and is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday until Dec. 15, and will then reopen in April of 2013 until Dec. 2013.
For a full list of vendors and schedule of events, visit
www.downtownrivermarket.com
