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SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of entrepreneurial siblings have created a market with the goal of helping artists turn their passions into careers.
Ashley Collett, the founder and designer of Salt and Honey Market, and her brother John Smith saw a need in Salt Lake County for an art market outside of the annual Craft Lake City and Utah Arts Festival.
Collett's background inspired the business. After receiving her degree in illustration from Brigham Young University-Idaho, she began working as a children's book illustrator. She switched over to graphic design several years ago, working at American Craft as a designer for the company.
A lifelong self-described entrepreneur, Collett had started and shuttered several business ventures in that time, selling items she had made. When she teamed up with her brother, who has an MBA from BYU, she said it clicked.
"Once we got together, we realized that we could kind of be a good team and that we could help support the creative community," Collett said. "I feel like around Utah, people are really great creatives and a lot of really great artists, but a lot of them don't know how to get their work out other than some of the online platforms like Etsy. So we banded together and decided to create Salt and Honey. It's been really successful, and I think it's going to be really good."
Together — along with their spouses Sarah Smith and Robbie Collett — they created Salt and Honey Market, which will be held in the old Anthropologie space at the Gateway Mall the first two weekends in December.
The market will host a mix of creators, from crafters to fine artists. Collett said she wanted to take fine art out of the formal gallery and into a less intimidating environment and offer prints or smaller paintings that would hit various price points.
"I know a lot of people would love to get fine art into their homes, but sometimes galleries are a little bit intimidating. So we really wanted to get a good selection of fine artists," Collett said. "What we're doing in the market is we're kind of creating a mini gallery where you can walk around and look at the paintings on the walls rather than tables or booths like most craft fairs. So it will feel kind of like a gallery, but it's a little more approachable."
The Salt and Honey team wanted the market not just to be a place to sell, but a resource for artists running their own businesses. They teamed up with analytics company Sherlock Intelligence to compile sales reports for each vendor. Additionally, they are in the middle of creating an educational component to the market for vendors, offering workshops and lectures with professionals who can talk about everything from filing taxes to marketing products.
"… (W)e don't want to be fair-weather friends — we strive to support local creative professionals and small businesses throughout the year by encouraging and assisting them to continually increase sales as well as offering them essential tools and skills to gain a larger audience and stronger brand recognition," their mission statement says.
The market will open Thursday, Dec. 3, and run through Saturday and again on Dec. 10-12. The hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. all four days.