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Handcrafted wonders and unique stories unfold at Columbia's Midlands Artisans Market

Columbia's Midlands Artisans Market features vendors like Cross and Nail Leathers and Swank on Ya, which offer handcrafted goods as shoppers support local artisans.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — If you were out in Columbia and needed to do some shopping, Sesquicentennial State Park was the place to get it all, especially during the Midlands Artisans Market.

Everywhere you turned, there was something unique to learn and a story behind every vendor's tent ready to capture your attention.

“The process is cutting these out, most of them are by hand," said Paul Haynes. "Some of them have dyes, and I use the heavy-duty stitching because that's usually where a wallet's gonna break down."

Paul and Susan Haynes, owners of Cross and Nail Leathers, are no strangers to markets. Their five-year-old business, which offers everything from custom wallet designs to air tag wallets, is already garnering customer attention.

"We're already getting orders for, for some wallets for gifts for Christmas already," Haynes said. So, yeah. And, and if you gonna put in an order, the sooner, the better because you know, it ... takes a while to do this. To cut it out, hand stitch it."

Another vendor at the market for the first time was the local self-care boutique Swank on Ya, owned by Valerie Traylor.

Traylor said she moved to the Palmetto State a little over a year ago and started her business shortly after. She said she's excited to showcase all her handmade products to encourage customers to care for themselves.

"Magnesium using it topically is something that can help and I make that product by hand," she said.

But nothing beats the support from the public who make markets like these worthwhile. 

Shoppers like Nakia Roberson say it's always a great idea for the state and cities to support those who do what they love.

“It's usually really good to have that feeling because you know somebody's gonna come and buy it, and most of the time, they come back and get it from you so it can be a Christmas gift," Roberson said. "It's a phenomenal feeling to be able to have your stuff displayed in somebody else's house."

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