Downtown Whitewater, the organizer of the Whitewater Indoor Market, has announced that vendor applications for the 2023-24 selling season have been made available through the “Discover Whitewater” website.

The Whitewater Community Market moves indoors each year during the cold-weather selling season, and is held in the Community Room of the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, 431 W. Center St., Whitewater, according to information released by market organizers.

The market is held each Saturday between November and April, with the exception of Saturday, Dec. 30, which, the release noted, is “tentative.”

A decision about the December date will be rendered after organizers learn how many vendors are interested in participating, the release stated.

Markets are offered from 10 a.m. to noon.

Vendors are invited to set up their booths between 9:15 and 9:45 a.m.

The library is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to the release, on average, attendance to the indoor market is between 75 and 150 shoppers per week.

“Unlike the outdoor market, shoppers at the indoor market are there to shop mostly for food, but sometimes for other gifts or seasonal items,” the release read.

Additionally, the release noted, the library’s Community Room, which is found near the library’s main entrance, can accommodate up to 12 vendors.

“When we increase the vendor space to allow more, it detracts from what the market patrons value about the market — space to linger over conversations with friends and neighbors,” the release noted, adding that organizers will consider raising the vendor count “on key holiday market dates as needed.”

Spaces offered at the indoor market are described within the release as able to accommodate a six-foot table with chairs. Some spaces require the vendor to use a table which is already in place, while other spaces are created to accommodate a table supplied by the vendor. Vendors will be appraised of their space conditions in advance of each market.

Chairs are provided and electricity is available, the release stated.

The cost to reserve a vendor space for the full season, calculated at 25 market days, is $60. Vendors also may sign up for a “half season,” calculated at 13 market days, at a cost of $40. They also may join at a cost of $5 for an individual market day.

Those interested in participating as a vendor in the market are asked to bring their payment, in the form of cash or check, to the first market they attend. Checks can be made out to Downtown Whitewater.

Monies collected from vendors as market fees are used to promote the event, according to the release. 

Applications are being accepted through Thursday, Sept. 28, and notified of their acceptance “status” by Sunday, Oct. 1.

To learn more about vendor guidelines and to fill out the application, visit the organizer’s website: https://downtownwhitewater.com/2023/08/10/2023-24-indoor-market-season-application-now-open/?fbclid=IwAR1ZR7rJUpS-_LwjQVbOB26FWk1KLhqFU0FXsBfLdv9Jd0CaVOq3B-a5xps.