BRIDGEPORT — Walk into Jackalope Coffee and Tea House and you’ll find an amalgamation of hipsters, cops, old folks and kids enjoying fresh coffee, tea and maple bacon donuts.
Walk out the door and you’ll notice the 32nd Street cul-de-sac that butts up against busy Halsted Street, which coffee shop co-owner January Overton calls the perfect spot for neighborhood events like the kid-focused "Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch" and the recent "Canines in the Cul De Sac" dog-friendly outdoor market.
"We're really just taking advantage that we have great spot for it. My hope is that [the events] will get bigger and bigger and maybe one day we'll have to move them somewhere else," she said.
On Sunday, the cul-de-sac once again plays host to another Jackalope-backed event, the shop’s first-ever art and craft fair, which takes place 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with a special emphasis on local vendors. Here’s a look at the lineup:
Foolheartedly: An Etsy shop specializing in handmade, “upcycled” vinyl bags designed to fit on bicycles. They're made from leftover materials of Bridgeport's Blue City Cycles bike shop.
Ruby Pinto Jewelry: Multitalented Jackalope barista Ruby Pinto will sell pieces of her handmade jewelry.
Leo Perez: The Bridgeport-based illustrator — whose drawings can be found in comic books and in the coffee shop’s windows — will be selling his artwork.
Hardscrabble Gifts: Mother-daughter team Janet and Leanne Scanlon will sell some of the goods from their Halsted Street gift shop.
Mery Elyn Baron Pocius: The creative grandmother will sell her colorful crocheted pot holders and hot pads.
Daniel Pugh: The co-founder of the volunteer Bridgeport Citizens Group is also a ceramics artist.
Videnovich Farms: Chicago's Vera Videnovich, a farmer and artisan who vends at several places throughout the city, will set up a farmer's market-style booth.
Overton, who runs the shop with her husband John Almonte, said she hopes the fair kickstarts more art-focused events in Bridgeport, which doesn't host anything on the scale of an Old Town Art Fair or the Bucktown Arts Festival.
"I just feel like [Bridgeport] doesn't do anything like this. People always say 'I always want a reason to come down [to Bridgeport],' and here's a reason," she said.
