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Positively Philadelphia: Open-Air Shopping at Philly Phair

By Lauren Lipton

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Every Saturday from now until November 22nd, Philly Phair, where everything is handmade, takes place at Headhouse Square, along 2nd Street below Lombard, in Philadelphia.

"I have a selection of handcrafted pottery," says Alexander Kachenko of Port Richmond, owner of Vagabond Ceramics, one of the vendors.  "Everything is made by myself, and I love making everything.  All my pottery is food safe, dishwasher safe, and microwave safe.  Much of the selection is functional, but I also have structural objects."

The potter's mother came to visit and support him on a recent Saturday, and bought a necklace from another nearby vendor, L&M Collective.

"I bought a necklace that is a bullet casing with crystals in it," said Denice Kachenko.  "And I'm from southern Ohio, where everyone hunts.  It's for my daughter-in-law.   I like to shop early for Christmas -- you can get some really unique items."

Liz Halverson, the "L" in L&M Collective (at left in top photo), made the necklace.

"I make everything by hand, use many recycled objects, and most are one-of-a-kind," Halverson told Positively Philadelphia.

Monica Barrington (the "M" of L&M) has a degree in fashion design and shares the booth with Liz.   "I have a degree in fashion design," she says.  "I make clothing -- for example, dresses with heart cut-outs.  One of the most popular things I make are 'Day of the Dead' t-shirts."

Klairah (photo below) and a friend just had breakfast nearby. Now it was time to shop!

 

klairah _lipton
(Klairah, shopping at the Blacqskirt booth at Philly Phair. Photo by Lauren Lipton)

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She loved what Blacqskirt had for sale.

"Awesome -- I love it!" she said.  "Prices are reasonable, and I like that we are out in the open and not in a mall."

Sara, her husband Dave, and their dog Dragon live nearby and were out taking a walk.

"We are tasting this really awesome 'Rock The Roll" barbecue sauce.  All the ingredients are from farms in Bucks County," she noted.

"This is a locally sourced barbecue sauce," said Brian, who makes the sauce.  "We make it ourselves every week. We have four flavors -- honey barbecue, spicy barbecue, lime cilantro barbecue, and ginger sesame barbecue. They are great for summertime grilling."

Dragon, the dog, was looking very hungry but Dave said he would need some chicken to go with his barbecue sauce.

And, for this week, that's "Positively Philadelphia!"

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