Since 2018, small businesses and other vendors have gathered at the Sanford Marketplace at Magnolia Square in Downtown Sanford on Saturday to sell items ranging from makeup to art to desserts.
Ben Marrett, founder and owner of Centaura Sweets, decided to join the market after he saw it one weekend because he enjoyed the “vibe” and the mixture of items selling.
“So, I applied and immediately fit in,” said Marrett, who is a regular vendor.
Marrett found his passion for baking as a student at Disney’s Culinary Academy in the late 90s.
During the three-year internship, Marrett had the opportunity to work in a wide range of kitchens including family dining restaurants, fine dining restaurants, buffet restaurants, and bakery, before switching every three months.
“As soon as I started working in the bakery something clicked. Even though I had spent years training to be a savory chef I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. After graduation I transferred to the bakery as a full-time Cast Member and learned as much as I could by working beside chefs and bakers better than me,” said Marrett, who “fell in love with the science behind baking and pastry.”
Marrett said one of his favorite products is the Pecan Praline Monkey Bread, and that the Blueberry Coffee Cake is a crowd favorite.
“We’ve had [the Pecan Praline Monkey Bread] since opening day. It’s close to my heart because we used to live in New Orleans. I learned how to make pecan praline candy while living there,” said Marrett. “The pecan praline candy is the topping for this monkey bread.”
The brownies are another favorite of Marrett’s.
“There is just enough flour in them to hold it together. So, they’re basically a baked fudge,” he said. “We have Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip now. Soon we’ll have a Candy Corn Brownie and our popular S’mores Brownie and Chocolate Peppermint Brownie.”
Marrett said being a regular vendor at the market in Downtown Sanford requires attendance three times a month.
“As of September, I will be there every Saturday. We are still in summer which is our slowest time of the year. Even now we have new vendors applying and good customer traffic,” said Marrett.
Nadia Clarke, owner of Cherry Bee Collections, had been a vendor at the market for nearly two years selling her lip gloss, lashes and body butter.
“I’ve always been into makeup ever since I was a little girl,” said Clarke. “At the end of 2020, I wanted to start my own business, so I started selling lashes.”
Cherry Bee Collections started fully online until Clarke realized she needed to do more to market her business and generate sales.
“I had to do some footwork,” said Clarke. “I started doing pop-up shops in Orlando, but the customer base didn’t really match.”
Clarke researched other markets she could participate in, which led her to events locally and in other cities. She recently was a vendor at a Domestic violence Gala in Gainesville.
Clarke said after riding by the Sanford Marketplace at Magnolia Square one weekend at the end of 2021, she thought, “this is something that I definitely need to be a part of.” She’s been a vendor at the market every month since then.
“It’s been two years and I love the market,” said Clarke. “It’s like home.”
Marrett feels similar.
“As long as downtown Sanford is a fun place to visit and we have a good market mix of vendors and products, the sky’s the limit,” he said.
Article: https://www.mysanfordherald.com/article/business-sanford-marketplace-magnolia-square
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