Bohumila Augustinova relaxes next to her table during a previous Melrose Art in the Yard event. (Photos courtesy of Lila McCullough/Carolina News and Reporter)
Shoppers will be able to buy paintings, jewelry, pottery and a wide variety of art this weekend — but not at the place most people would expect.
More than 100 local artists and vendors will take over Melrose Heights front yards Sunday, as the historic neighborhood hosts Melrose Art in the Yard for a third year.
The event will feature paintings, homemade potholders, leather bags and charcuterie boards. All will be available from the front yards of a Melrose neighbor on Shirley, Kershaw, Hagood or Bratton streets.
The market started in 2020 to create space for local artists to sell their work during the pandemic, said Lila McCullough, a painter and one of the event organizers.
McCullough lives in the neighborhood. But not all the vendors have to.
The event started with 30 vendors and has grown to 102. Food trucks and historic neighborhood tours by Historic Columbia also will be available this year.
“It’s a chance to walk around a beautiful neighborhood and enjoy all the food trucks,” McCullough said. “Get all your Christmas shopping done or buy yourself some beautiful piece of art that you never even imagined you were going to have.”
There are only two requirements for vendors to participate — be generally local and sell their own work.
Columbia native Robert McNinch will be participating in the market for the first time this year, selling leather goods. He enjoys making custom orders and said he hopes to use the event to connect with more people.
“I would love to make some sales, obviously,” McNinch said. “But you know, really more than that is contact info and maybe commissions, you know, just to kind of get my name and word out there.”
Melrose Art in the Yard has become a community-building event with many vendors and visitors returning, McCullough said.
Neighbors connect with the artists before the event and often volunteer to host one to three artists each year.
“They have fun doing it, too, and they get to often meet an artist and become friends with an artist,” McCullough said. “Some of the artists have been in the same yard, not their own, yard mind you, because they live somewhere else, but they’ve been in the same yard for every event. So they’ve gotten to be pretty good friends with their yard host as we call them.”
Nancy Upchurch from Saluda, South Carolina, also will be selling her paintings for the first time Sunday after hearing about the event from a friend. She said she hopes to introduce her olive wood paintings to more people in Columbia.
“It’s kind of cool that each house, each home is willing to host two artists, and that people just walk the blocks and check everyone out,” Upchurch said. “It’s a neat way for people to learn about local artisans and artists and maybe, you know, do some shopping if they see something they like. And to help support our dreams.”
The neighborhood works hard to make the event fun and enjoyable for vendors and buyers, McCullough said.
“I mean, our neighbors are very welcoming and always excited to have it,” McCullough said. “We just want you to be here and have fun and share your art.”
Melrose Art in the Yard runs from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 3. The event will occur rain or shine.
