Jonathan and Lynna Smith won’t have to travel far at all to attend the Oak Brook Artisan Market they are presenting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 1.
This will be the 15th Artisan Market in Oak Brook and sixth at Oakbrook Center for the Smiths, who are Oak Brook residents and owners and operators of Artisan Markets in Oak Brook, Naperville and Chicago. The upcoming Oakbrook Center market is the second this year at that location, as an earlier one was held in June.
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Jonathan Smith said he and his wife launched the Oakbrook Center Artisan Market in 2019.
“We live in Oak Brook, so it’s our neighborhood mall,” he said. “Oakbrook Center was at that time ranked the third most productive shopping center in the U.S., with an estimated 15 to 20 million visitors annually.”
Smith said he and his wife were used to driving all of the traffic themselves for their Chicago markets, and using Oakbrook Center gave them a big bonus.
“To be able to get our vendors in front of another 50,000-plus shoppers on a market weekend was a nice bonus,” he said. “It was also a good opportunity for us to bring top area and Midwest artisans — all small businesses — to a terrific property in a great location that is otherwise tenanted with prestigious national and international retailers. We bring the local, Midwest and small business component to the mix.”
Smith said the Oakbrook Center market was expanded in June to 90-plus artisan-vendors in three areas of the mall: on and around the village green/fountain area; south of the Apple store near Zara, Arhaus and Abercrombie and Fitch; and between Starbucks and The District food hall.
“This one will be similar in size, but with a rotating cast of artisan-vendors,” he said. “Every market is a little different, based on vendors’ schedules and what’s in season.”
On a personal note for the Smiths, they love the Oakbrook Center setting for their market.
“My wife and I are avid gardeners, so we appreciate that the flower beds, and overall landscaping at Oakbrook Center is out of this world,” Smith said. “Beyond the scenery, you not only get to shop 90-plus top Midwest artisans with us, but you also have access to top department stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy’s, two AMC theater complexes, more than two dozen restaurants, and probably the best mix of flagship specialty stores you’ll find anywhere in the Midwest.”
After initially having three Oakbrook Center Artisan Markets in 2019, the coronavirus pandemic took force a year later and forced the Smiths to take a different approach.
“We did what most small businesses were forced to do at that time — we improvised,” Smith said.
The Smiths worked with Drake Hotel owners Jim and Tely Nagle to relocate their market to that Oak Brook hotel at which they were able to spread out for safety outdoors on 10 acres. There were eight outdoor markets done at The Drake in 2020 and 2021, Smith said.
“For many of the small businesses we work with, we were one of very few options for safely vending at that time, which allowed them to continue operating,” he said
The Oak Brook Artisan Market returned to Oakbrook Center in the fall of 2022 with 60-plus vendors and subsequently expanded that market to more than 90 vendors in 2023.
“For our fall market, we’ll be featuring 90-plus Midwest artisans in our four major categories — food, fashion, home goods an art,” Smith said. “You’ll find everything from jewelry, handbags, and accessories to a wide range of gourmet food items, woodworking, pottery, paintings, and decorative art.” ]
The upcoming market at Oakbrook Center is the last at that location for 2023, but Smith said a return is likely in 2024.
“I don’t see why not,” he said. “Both the merchants and existing shoppers at Oakbrook Center have really embraced the Oak Brook Artisan Market and the talented small businesses we showcase. And we think we bring something unique and different to Oakbrook Center, too.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.