#Assembled Arts Market {Assembly Row}

Happy Friday! Can you believe how quickly this week has flown by? It feels like yesterday Josh and I were gearing up for last weekend, and now we're getting ready for another one! Last weekend was a little extra special though, because Josh and I spent our Saturday morning in Somerville (near where we lived when we first started dating!) at an adorable outdoor arts market.

The people behind Assembly Row have created a perfect mix in their vision for the new space (officially opening in the Spring of 2014!). The area - a collection of apartments, shops, and delicious restaurants - is a beautiful community space just steps outside of Boston. I wish that when I lived in Somerville this had existed - we might never have left!

Every Saturday from May through September, the realty group behind Assembly Row hosts a gorgeous outdoor arts market, complete with local vendors, amazing food trucks, and live music. Can you imagine anything better? I'm not sure I can.

Josh and I got there around 11:30 and we both think it was the perfect time to arrive. The vendors weren't too crowded yet and we had the opportunity to walk around and really chat with some of the incredible people behind the local products. Some of our favorites?
First, we loved The Crunchy Home. Caitlin Calonge, a North Shore based artist, creates amazing all natural products in her own home! Josh bought some new face wash and I bought a delicious peach lip balm that has been keeping my lips smooth all week!
I fell in love with these woodblock prints by Chandra Hellweg-Gillespie and they would make a great art addition to any home (you can find them here!). The artist makes each one herself and so every single print is unique.

We also checked out these awesome birdhouses by John Bailey. We don't exactly have room for a birdhouse right now - and Nash would go crazy if we put one on the balcony! - so we sadly had to pass this time. Each birdhouse is handmade from salvaged materials and the builder lists each type of material that goes into each birdhouse.

Other vendors we loved? 
Frank Botta who makes paintings on glass - and can do portraits of your pet! We think we may send him a picture to see if he can create one of Nash. You can reach him at fandebotta@comcast.net to talk to him about customizing an affordable piece for you.

Herbert Elsner, a woodturner who makes beautiful pieces of art out of wood - both large and small. Josh and I bought a dreidle from them!

And last, but certainly not least, is Sarah Wormann. Aside from the fact that we share the same name (obviously she gets major points for that), she makes beautiful maps. 

You may not know this about Josh and I but we absolute love maps and as soon as Josh saw her booth, he was sold! And of course, we couldn't leave without buying a print of Massachusetts (you can see one in the shot above). She also does custom work and you can find her either in her Etsy shop, on her Facebook page, or at the next Assembled!
After we had shopped, we headed over to the food trucks and ate our weight in food! We enjoyed lunch from the Speedy Dog - Josh loved his chicken parm sandwich, and my hot dog & fried green tomatoes were delicious! 

They also had an ice cream sandwich food truck, but we were too stuffed for dessert. Instead, we took a walk around the perimeter of Assembly Row to check out the gorgeous trestles that are overlooking part of the area.


Taken from an old factory that used to be in this location, these trestles are truly a piece of community art. Up close and personal you can see where workers once etched their own names into the steel. What an amazing piece of history!

We had an awesome day and loved getting to check out this incredible market! We will definitely be back before the summer ends, and cannot wait for next spring when the whole center is open! Another awesome highlight of the market is that it is dog friendly - next time, Nash will definitely join us!

Do you live in the Boston area? Have you been to check out the market? It's definitely worth the trip!