ABILENE, TX — The Matera Vendor Market, set to open May 1, expects to offer one-of-a kind finds and experiences to visitors in the South of Downtown Abilene (SODA) District, mobilizing a plan organizers have entertained since before the pandemic began one year ago.
Tim Smith, local entrepreneur and a leader of revitalization in the SODA district, says the market has been in the works a long while, but the pandemic forced organizers to put a pin in plans until further notice.
“We’ve spent all this time planning, and building out, and preparing for the day when we had a vaccine and COVID dissipated,” said Smith. “I think and hope that that’s where we’re at now and that it’s going to be a better year.”
Smith says he and others working on the project have made contact with 70 vendors already showing interest in setting up shops starting in May.
The first Matera Vendor Market is scheduled to take place May 1 from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and will continue every Saturday after.
The market’s address is at 833 South 1st Street in the Matera Gardens, underneath the Sockdolager Brewing Company.
