Inaugural Community Market kicks off on Center Street

Mar. 20—Steele House Coffee's inaugural Community Market started on Saturday as a monthly venture throughout the year excluding June and December to work around two other staples in the Yuba-Sutter community.

Joe Steele, who owns Steele House Coffee with his wife, Regina, said his vision for the Community Market was to stimulate the local economy, not be in competition with other long-standing events.

So with the help of his marketing manager, Samantha Saadat, and the city of Yuba City, Steele House Coffee opened the inaugural Community Market that will take place on the third Saturday of each month for 10 of the 12-month calendar from 2-7 p.m. on Center Street in downtown Yuba City.

Each month, Saadat said, the market will feature numerous local art and food vendors looking to put a face to their business.

Steele said nowadays people need a reason to support local businesses so why not close down a street to "celebrate local with us?"

"Everything here is within Yuba City-Marysville," Steele said.

Over 20 vendors, Saadat said, brought with them handmade items that ranged from quilts to tote and wine bags, jewelry and even family heirlooms.

Elizabeth Edwards, a young Yuba City entrepreneur, opened Mended Hearts Creations recently in support of her son, Tristan, after he survived heart surgery at four days old.

Edwards said Tristan is now eight and healthy and about to sign up for soccer.

Edwards' business was out in full force Saturday not far from Fernando's Cali Kitchen selling homemade bows made in support of another one of Edwards' family members, who recently passed away.

Edwards said her great-grandmother was a seamstress in the 1940s, and after she died left totes of fabric in her home in Gridley.

Edwards said she just could not part ways with her great-grandmother's stuff. Instead of throwing it away, Edwards came up with the idea to make bow ties out of the fabric and sell it as some of the inventory at Mended Hearts Creations.

"I wanted to keep her legacy alive, so I decided to make bows, you can't get (them) anywhere else," Edwards said.

Edwards said some of the fabric to make the bows is from the early 1900s, so once the bows are gone, she will not be able to make any more.

But Edwards felt it was the ideal way to preserve her great-grandmother's legacy for a little longer.

Edwards plans on manning one of the $50 vendor booths moving forward, so Yuba-Sutter can get to know her and her family a little better.

Steele said the idea behind the market was to put a face on local businesses, and what better way then to trap everyone together to shop and be with each other.

"Shopping local stimulates the economy," Steele said. "In the end, that's what we want to do: put a face to the name."

If you're interested in becoming a vendor, message Saadat at Steele House Community Market on Instagram.