April 7, 2025 • 13 mins
We spoke with Founder Care Verickas about Connecticut artisan events.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guests today is Kraverricus. She's co founder of The Bristol Bizarre.
How are you this morning?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I am so good. Thank you so much for asking
how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm great? Thank you. So Often you don't know this
about me, but when I'm on air and I'm looking
for things to tell people about what's happening around the area,
I often go to your website, the Bristol Bizarre dot
com because every weekend you have stuff going on and
people need to know about this.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well. I so appreciate that. We definitely have a schedule.
It feels like it's bursting at the seams, and especially
with the nice weather, We've got so so much going on,
both in the story and out of the store.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for people who don't know about the Bristol Bizar,
what is it? How did it all come about?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah? So, the Bristol Bazaar is an indoor maker's market.
We are located in the heart of downtown Bristol, Connecticut.
We are open six days a week, all year round,
every day but Monday. And what what we do is
we specialize in selling hand and made items from folks
from currently Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York and we have
(01:08):
a really cool vibe inside. So imagine a craft show
where you go and you see all these tables full
of really cool things. But what's different with the Bizarre
is that we don't ask our vendors to be present,
so we do all of the selling, cleaning, organizing, and
restocking for them. We have a centralized register system so
our customers can really shop at their own pace, check
(01:29):
out with us when they're ready. And then we're also
home to Yellow King Bristol, which is a coffee cocktail lounge.
They are very popular at their Wallingford location. They are
so well known for their espresso martini flight, their coffee
flights and they even just launch a nice tea flight
this past week. So they're always coming up with something
new and delicious that is so cool.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
They have coffee flights.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yes, they just released their spring flight a few weekends
ago and it has been a huge success.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You support over sixty five plus artists. Tell us about them.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, so we have a huge variety of different makers
and in our space that we do is we limit
like vendors to two light vendors vending at one time,
so two woodworkers, two candle makers, because we're not an
enormous space and we want to minimize the competition. But
we've got all sorts of things from candles to jewelry, ice, dye,
(02:22):
tied eye. What else do we have? Bake goods? We
have a posyed resin pieces, little clay mushrooms that are
super adorable. So we are definitely like a one stop
shop for the unique gift.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Why is it important to help entrepreneurs sell their products?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So the reason that we opened up the bazaar was
solely because of an experience we had with our first business.
So we also own a wood shop that we started
on our own as a side hostel and grew it
to be a full business. Now it's called Dusty Dude Woodworks.
But what we did while we were going through that
process was we googled everything. We had no idea what
(02:59):
we were doing, We had no true contact for questions,
and so as entrepreneurs and as the entrepreneurs who are
really struggling forward, we wanted to really kind of take
everything that we had learned and now offer it to
other entrepreneurs, other small businesses who are looking to grow
their side hustle to become their full time job, and
(03:21):
that's exactly what we do with the Bristol Bazaar. We
are there for our people all the time. Even if
people aren't bending with us, we are there to help
answer make connections for people who maybe they need to
talk to a mayor or they're looking to talk to
someone from the state of Connecticut that we've now forged
a relationship with that can help them to grow their business.
And it's not to say there's not amazing resources out there,
(03:44):
because there are a lot of them, but a lot
of entrepreneurs don't know about them or don't know how
to reach them. So we find that that's really important
to do, so we've made that a huge part of
our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Again. Go to Vibristolbizarre dot com for more information. You
have clients, meetings, workshops, events.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yes, we have so many things going on, even just
coming up soon. April twelfth is our second annual Pups
and Pints event, So we work a lot with Dogstar Rescue,
which is also based out of Connecticut. We host two
events with them every year. Pups and Pints is in
the spring and Pups and Pumpkins in the fall, but
(04:23):
this year We've got twelve additional outdoor vendors that will
be at the store. We've got a permanent jewelry artist
and actually the same day will be our first for
twenty twenty five of our traveling Bazaar, and so that's
where we take our show on the road. We bring
about forty vendors with us and that'll be at Caius
Brewing in Branford April twelfth, from eleven to five.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Do you need vendors, We are always.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Looking for folks, so whether it's for guest vending, full
time vending, we have shelf bending. We are always always looking.
We are almost full for this year for full time vendors,
but we do will have shelf vending and guest vending
available which folks can apply right on our website.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
I want to go back for a moment to Yellow
King Bristol. They have their own events going on as well.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
They do. They are always doing all sorts of things
from trivia, They've got pop up tattoo events that happened
at their walling for location. They're working on creating some
more events for Bristol, I think for the spring and
summer months. So definitely keep an eye on their schedule
as well. They've got a Vinyl DJ that comes once
a month to Bristol always always really cool different things
(05:34):
to check out with them.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
And they have like a food truck with the coffee
and the cocktails and stuff that goes out.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
They do. They do. They have a pretty big season
plan for their truck, which is really exciting because last
year they just i wouldn't say soft launched it, they
really just kind of went into it with the holiday
season a full force. And so this will be their
first fair season with the truck.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And now people can rent the space of the Bristol
Bizarre if they want to have like a workshop or
a meeting anything there.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, yes, absolutely, I'm glad you asked. So the event
space that we have is just thirty five dollars an hour.
We provide five tables and thirty two stools. There's a
projector in there, a TV you can do byob decorations. Also,
it's a really easypsy space to work with and we've
hosted things from like you mentioned, workshops, sushi making, cookie decorating,
(06:24):
to business retreats that happened in there, baby showers, birthday parties.
It's really something that's been a really great space for
the community to use.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Is there a cost to go into the Bristol Bazaar.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
There is not. It is free to come in and visit, shop,
free to park. We have tons of parking. I know
folks always ask about that, especially on the weekends when
we're really really busy. We've got an overflow a lot
and a huge main lot as well. So our traveling
Bazar schedule for twenty twenty five, We've got four great
shows coming up throughout the state of Connecticut. April twelfth,
(07:00):
as I mentioned before, we'll be at Caias Brewing from
eleven to five. On May three, we'll be at Longdew
Cider House in Southington, Connecticut, where it's absolutely beautiful, great views,
delicious cier that'll be from twelve pm to six pm.
September one, which is Labor Day, we'll be at Lineman Orchards.
It's the weekend that they open up their corn maize,
(07:20):
so we're super excited to be there under the big
white tent and that'll be from ten am to four pm.
And then our last show of this year will be
October eighteenth at Caius Brewing again from eleven am to
five pm in Bramford. All of our events for the
Traveling our outdoors, so I always like people to note
address for the weather. There's always a food truck on site,
(07:43):
lots of really great drinks, food options, all sorts of
good things at those events and then in the store.
We actually for the month of April have a very
very full schedule. I obviously won't go into all of them,
just what's coming up soon. And we're actually prepared right
now for our new space up at the Big E
in the fall, so that's also really big news that
(08:05):
we're excited to share.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So what other events do you have happening in April?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Go throughout them month of April. We've got all sorts
of cool things going on. We have a craft and
sip wire wrapping class, we have an apoxy workshop with coasters,
we have a lot of Easter events. We have a
Mommy and Me Easter jar workshop creation, we have our
Pups and Pints, which we were talking about before, are
(08:29):
Traveling Bizarre, and a stained glass tulip plant steak workshop.
And that's only the top of the list of things
that we have going on. So be sure to check
out our website for everything going on. We also have
a newsletter that comes out every Thursday, and that's also
full of really great information about the store and.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Events, so you have things not just for adults, but
for adults with children.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Absolutely we are super family friendly. We encourage young ones
to come by and see the store. That love to
look at the theeming of the store. So actually in
mid April, we'll be changing our shopping experience from Candy
Topia over to Alice in Wonderland, so it'll be really
(09:14):
heavy on florals and we'll have definite nods to all
the favorite family movies that are out there too.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Very very nice. And then you said that you're going
to be at the Big Eie. What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So we are so excited. This is going to be
our second year up there at the Big Eie in
the Connecticut Building, and last year we had a great space.
We were selling tons of merchandise, State merchandise, our makers merchandise.
And this year we'll be back up there in a
space that's just about double the size we had of
last year, and it's going to be completely revamped. So
(09:46):
we're going to really bring our feel of the Bristol Bazaar.
We're going to be bringing brick and florals, and it's
just going to be a really cool experience that's so
different from what we had last year, and we'll be
able to showcase even more makers. And what we are
changing from last year is that this year we'll be
having a consistent group of folks that'll be with us
(10:08):
showcasing their pieces. So last year we changed our store
every day just to give as many makers as we
could exposure up as a big eie. And so this
year we've decided that we'll be doing this by invitation
and we're hoping to have you know, ten plus vendors
with us in terms of items, and we are so
excited to be up there all seventeen days in the
(10:29):
Connecticut Building. We'll also have Connecticut merchandise again from our
good friends there the state of Connecticut, with all sorts
of T shirts and posters and stickers and candles. So
it'll really be a really fun, unique shopping experience, just
like when you come to our brick and mortar in Bristol.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And what kind of impact has the Bristol Bizarre had
on the town of Bristol and surrounding towns.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
So I mean, we have had so many folks come
down from out of state. So I would say we
had someone come from upstate New York one day, We've
had people come down from Massachusetts, over from Rhode Island.
And not only is that that that's so awesome for
us and for our makers because it says, you know,
we're reaching these folks, whether it's through working with influencers
(11:14):
or other marketing strategies or being up at the Biggie,
which has also been tremendous. But what we did, especially
during the holiday season, one of the videos we had
done actually went semi viral, so our lines to get
in were into the parking lot. It was unimaginable. But
what I did was I created a sheet that I
was able to hand out at the register and people
(11:36):
were checking out because folks are always asking, well, what
else can I do? You know, I've come here, I
want to keep shopping smaller, I want to see what
else is around, and so we created a list of
different restaurants and other shops and boutiques that people could
go to and shop from during the holiday season. And
it's something that we've continued to do past the holiday season.
So really, what we hope to do is bring people
(11:59):
in today ontown Bristol so that they could see our
folks in the Bizarre, but also so they could then
go and enjoy all of our restaurants and all the
other experiences we have in town. We've got Creative gm Artco,
which is absolutely amazing. It's just such a cool family
experience or a date night experience with pink splattering. It's messy,
it's awesome. We've got a brewery in town, you know,
(12:22):
I hope that people will go there. We've got other
markets that, you know, share different small, local products. Maybe
they're not handmade, but they're still local to the area,
which is just as great. So we're always hoping to
really share in the love and do what we can
to help get people to other places.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
What a brilliant idea. I'm speaking with Kara Vericas, co
founder of The Bristol Bizarre again. Go to the Bristol
Bizarre dot com. You can hear about all of their
events and everything that's going on there with them and
with the Yellow King in Bristol as well. Thank you
so much for being here today, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
For having me. I so appreciate it.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guests today is Kraverricus. She's co founder of The Bristol Bizarre.
How are you this morning?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I am so good. Thank you so much for asking
how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm great? Thank you. So Often you don't know this
about me, but when I'm on air and I'm looking
for things to tell people about what's happening around the area,
I often go to your website, the Bristol Bizarre dot
com because every weekend you have stuff going on and
people need to know about this.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well. I so appreciate that. We definitely have a schedule.
It feels like it's bursting at the seams, and especially
with the nice weather, We've got so so much going on,
both in the story and out of the store.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for people who don't know about the Bristol Bizar,
what is it? How did it all come about?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah? So, the Bristol Bazaar is an indoor maker's market.
We are located in the heart of downtown Bristol, Connecticut.
We are open six days a week, all year round,
every day but Monday. And what what we do is
we specialize in selling hand and made items from folks
from currently Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York and we have
(01:08):
a really cool vibe inside. So imagine a craft show
where you go and you see all these tables full
of really cool things. But what's different with the Bizarre
is that we don't ask our vendors to be present,
so we do all of the selling, cleaning, organizing, and
restocking for them. We have a centralized register system so
our customers can really shop at their own pace, check
(01:29):
out with us when they're ready. And then we're also
home to Yellow King Bristol, which is a coffee cocktail lounge.
They are very popular at their Wallingford location. They are
so well known for their espresso martini flight, their coffee
flights and they even just launch a nice tea flight
this past week. So they're always coming up with something
new and delicious that is so cool.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
They have coffee flights.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yes, they just released their spring flight a few weekends
ago and it has been a huge success.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You support over sixty five plus artists. Tell us about them.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, so we have a huge variety of different makers
and in our space that we do is we limit
like vendors to two light vendors vending at one time,
so two woodworkers, two candle makers, because we're not an
enormous space and we want to minimize the competition. But
we've got all sorts of things from candles to jewelry, ice, dye,
(02:22):
tied eye. What else do we have? Bake goods? We
have a posyed resin pieces, little clay mushrooms that are
super adorable. So we are definitely like a one stop
shop for the unique gift.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Why is it important to help entrepreneurs sell their products?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So the reason that we opened up the bazaar was
solely because of an experience we had with our first business.
So we also own a wood shop that we started
on our own as a side hostel and grew it
to be a full business. Now it's called Dusty Dude Woodworks.
But what we did while we were going through that
process was we googled everything. We had no idea what
(02:59):
we were doing, We had no true contact for questions,
and so as entrepreneurs and as the entrepreneurs who are
really struggling forward, we wanted to really kind of take
everything that we had learned and now offer it to
other entrepreneurs, other small businesses who are looking to grow
their side hustle to become their full time job, and
(03:21):
that's exactly what we do with the Bristol Bazaar. We
are there for our people all the time. Even if
people aren't bending with us, we are there to help
answer make connections for people who maybe they need to
talk to a mayor or they're looking to talk to
someone from the state of Connecticut that we've now forged
a relationship with that can help them to grow their business.
And it's not to say there's not amazing resources out there,
(03:44):
because there are a lot of them, but a lot
of entrepreneurs don't know about them or don't know how
to reach them. So we find that that's really important
to do, so we've made that a huge part of
our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Again. Go to Vibristolbizarre dot com for more information. You
have clients, meetings, workshops, events.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yes, we have so many things going on, even just
coming up soon. April twelfth is our second annual Pups
and Pints event, So we work a lot with Dogstar Rescue,
which is also based out of Connecticut. We host two
events with them every year. Pups and Pints is in
the spring and Pups and Pumpkins in the fall, but
(04:23):
this year We've got twelve additional outdoor vendors that will
be at the store. We've got a permanent jewelry artist
and actually the same day will be our first for
twenty twenty five of our traveling Bazaar, and so that's
where we take our show on the road. We bring
about forty vendors with us and that'll be at Caius
Brewing in Branford April twelfth, from eleven to five.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Do you need vendors, We are always.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Looking for folks, so whether it's for guest vending, full
time vending, we have shelf bending. We are always always looking.
We are almost full for this year for full time vendors,
but we do will have shelf vending and guest vending
available which folks can apply right on our website.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
I want to go back for a moment to Yellow
King Bristol. They have their own events going on as well.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
They do. They are always doing all sorts of things
from trivia, They've got pop up tattoo events that happened
at their walling for location. They're working on creating some
more events for Bristol, I think for the spring and
summer months. So definitely keep an eye on their schedule
as well. They've got a Vinyl DJ that comes once
a month to Bristol always always really cool different things
(05:34):
to check out with them.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
And they have like a food truck with the coffee
and the cocktails and stuff that goes out.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
They do. They do. They have a pretty big season
plan for their truck, which is really exciting because last
year they just i wouldn't say soft launched it, they
really just kind of went into it with the holiday
season a full force. And so this will be their
first fair season with the truck.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And now people can rent the space of the Bristol
Bizarre if they want to have like a workshop or
a meeting anything there.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, yes, absolutely, I'm glad you asked. So the event
space that we have is just thirty five dollars an hour.
We provide five tables and thirty two stools. There's a
projector in there, a TV you can do byob decorations. Also,
it's a really easypsy space to work with and we've
hosted things from like you mentioned, workshops, sushi making, cookie decorating,
(06:24):
to business retreats that happened in there, baby showers, birthday parties.
It's really something that's been a really great space for
the community to use.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Is there a cost to go into the Bristol Bazaar.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
There is not. It is free to come in and visit, shop,
free to park. We have tons of parking. I know
folks always ask about that, especially on the weekends when
we're really really busy. We've got an overflow a lot
and a huge main lot as well. So our traveling
Bazar schedule for twenty twenty five, We've got four great
shows coming up throughout the state of Connecticut. April twelfth,
(07:00):
as I mentioned before, we'll be at Caias Brewing from
eleven to five. On May three, we'll be at Longdew
Cider House in Southington, Connecticut, where it's absolutely beautiful, great views,
delicious cier that'll be from twelve pm to six pm.
September one, which is Labor Day, we'll be at Lineman Orchards.
It's the weekend that they open up their corn maize,
(07:20):
so we're super excited to be there under the big
white tent and that'll be from ten am to four pm.
And then our last show of this year will be
October eighteenth at Caius Brewing again from eleven am to
five pm in Bramford. All of our events for the
Traveling our outdoors, so I always like people to note
address for the weather. There's always a food truck on site,
(07:43):
lots of really great drinks, food options, all sorts of
good things at those events and then in the store.
We actually for the month of April have a very
very full schedule. I obviously won't go into all of them,
just what's coming up soon. And we're actually prepared right
now for our new space up at the Big E
in the fall, so that's also really big news that
(08:05):
we're excited to share.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So what other events do you have happening in April?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Go throughout them month of April. We've got all sorts
of cool things going on. We have a craft and
sip wire wrapping class, we have an apoxy workshop with coasters,
we have a lot of Easter events. We have a
Mommy and Me Easter jar workshop creation, we have our
Pups and Pints, which we were talking about before, are
(08:29):
Traveling Bizarre, and a stained glass tulip plant steak workshop.
And that's only the top of the list of things
that we have going on. So be sure to check
out our website for everything going on. We also have
a newsletter that comes out every Thursday, and that's also
full of really great information about the store and.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Events, so you have things not just for adults, but
for adults with children.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Absolutely we are super family friendly. We encourage young ones
to come by and see the store. That love to
look at the theeming of the store. So actually in
mid April, we'll be changing our shopping experience from Candy
Topia over to Alice in Wonderland, so it'll be really
(09:14):
heavy on florals and we'll have definite nods to all
the favorite family movies that are out there too.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Very very nice. And then you said that you're going
to be at the Big Eie. What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So we are so excited. This is going to be
our second year up there at the Big Eie in
the Connecticut Building, and last year we had a great space.
We were selling tons of merchandise, State merchandise, our makers merchandise.
And this year we'll be back up there in a
space that's just about double the size we had of
last year, and it's going to be completely revamped. So
(09:46):
we're going to really bring our feel of the Bristol Bazaar.
We're going to be bringing brick and florals, and it's
just going to be a really cool experience that's so
different from what we had last year, and we'll be
able to showcase even more makers. And what we are
changing from last year is that this year we'll be
having a consistent group of folks that'll be with us
(10:08):
showcasing their pieces. So last year we changed our store
every day just to give as many makers as we
could exposure up as a big eie. And so this
year we've decided that we'll be doing this by invitation
and we're hoping to have you know, ten plus vendors
with us in terms of items, and we are so
excited to be up there all seventeen days in the
(10:29):
Connecticut Building. We'll also have Connecticut merchandise again from our
good friends there the state of Connecticut, with all sorts
of T shirts and posters and stickers and candles. So
it'll really be a really fun, unique shopping experience, just
like when you come to our brick and mortar in Bristol.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And what kind of impact has the Bristol Bizarre had
on the town of Bristol and surrounding towns.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
So I mean, we have had so many folks come
down from out of state. So I would say we
had someone come from upstate New York one day, We've
had people come down from Massachusetts, over from Rhode Island.
And not only is that that that's so awesome for
us and for our makers because it says, you know,
we're reaching these folks, whether it's through working with influencers
(11:14):
or other marketing strategies or being up at the Biggie,
which has also been tremendous. But what we did, especially
during the holiday season, one of the videos we had
done actually went semi viral, so our lines to get
in were into the parking lot. It was unimaginable. But
what I did was I created a sheet that I
was able to hand out at the register and people
(11:36):
were checking out because folks are always asking, well, what
else can I do? You know, I've come here, I
want to keep shopping smaller, I want to see what
else is around, and so we created a list of
different restaurants and other shops and boutiques that people could
go to and shop from during the holiday season. And
it's something that we've continued to do past the holiday season.
So really, what we hope to do is bring people
(11:59):
in today ontown Bristol so that they could see our
folks in the Bizarre, but also so they could then
go and enjoy all of our restaurants and all the
other experiences we have in town. We've got Creative gm Artco,
which is absolutely amazing. It's just such a cool family
experience or a date night experience with pink splattering. It's messy,
it's awesome. We've got a brewery in town, you know,
(12:22):
I hope that people will go there. We've got other
markets that, you know, share different small, local products. Maybe
they're not handmade, but they're still local to the area,
which is just as great. So we're always hoping to
really share in the love and do what we can
to help get people to other places.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
What a brilliant idea. I'm speaking with Kara Vericas, co
founder of The Bristol Bizarre again. Go to the Bristol
Bizarre dot com. You can hear about all of their
events and everything that's going on there with them and
with the Yellow King in Bristol as well. Thank you
so much for being here today, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
For having me. I so appreciate it.
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Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!