What I Found at the Kentucky Pop-Ups Fall Market in Hamburg

I spent Saturday afternoon walking the Kentucky Pop-Ups fall market at Hamburg. It ran from 11 to 4 outside the Regal Cinema on Star Shoot Parkway, and the weather could not have been better. Clear skies, sunshine, and mid to upper 70s.

If you've been to the Woodland Art Fair, picture a much smaller event that's easier to move around in, but with enough tents and vendors that you can really come home with a good haul. There were plenty of people looking around and buying things, so it wasn't empty, but you could walk from tent to tent without squeezing past anybody or waiting behind a food line. It's an easy market to wander with kids or a stroller.

Most of what's here is handmade. Nena's Emporium had stuffed geese and other handmade pieces. 2Me had leather carrying bags trimmed with fur, plus coonskin caps. Stitch Happenz was doing embroidery and gifts. Twisted Creations had a table of 3D printed things. Noe Made had pins, earrings, Croc charms, necklaces and magnets. One tent was all crochet beanies, and more than one tent had handmade bags.

If you're shopping for something to wear, Lady Willow Designs had a tent of UK gear. Another tent had purses, wallets, sunglasses and jewelry. There was a baby clothes tent and a tent of clothes for adults.

The Literary Matchmaker had a tent full of books wrapped in brown paper so you can't see what you're getting. Each one has a short teaser on the front instead of a title. One read “a couple seek marriage counseling, unraveling secrets, lies, and dangerous truths beneath their marriage.” She tucks in little extras too, like a sticker and a snack. You pick by mood and find out what you got when you open it, like a blind date with a novel. Just a really neat concept! La Choco y El Rorro, a local family run taco truck, had quesadillas and drinks on the menu.

I came home with a $15 pocket knife from the Ugandan Students' Educational Fund booth. The knives aren't made in Uganda, but the booth also had Ugandan handcrafted items, and either way the money goes to a small group of students there. The flyer lists twelve of them by name, from elementary age up to university, and says the fund covers boarding school tuition, books, a laptop, housing, meals, medical and dental care, uniforms and clothing. It's run by a caretaker here in Lexington. If you see the booth, it's worth stopping.

There were more tents than I've listed here. Kentucky Pop-Ups says it brings 50 or more vendors to Hamburg. I didn't count, but it felt closer to 30 the day I went. Either way, if you missed the Woodland Art Fair or have an itch for more, this is worth a Saturday.

It's free to walk, and parking is regular Hamburg parking, so that part is easy. This isn't a once a year thing. Kentucky Pop-Ups started in 2022 and now runs a market at Hamburg about once a month from spring through the holidays, with a fall market in September, a spooky one in October and a holiday one after that. The full schedule is on their Hamburg page at kentuckypop-ups.com/hamburg, and their Facebook page is where they post a reminder before each one.

One thing to know so you don't show up on the wrong Saturday. A different group, Longstone Crafters, also runs a pop up market in the Hamburg parking lot on other Saturdays through November, 10 to 4. Same lot, different vendors, different organizer. Hamburg Pavilion's own events page lists both.

If you live out in Hamburg or you're thinking about moving to that side of town, this is one of those small perks worth knowing about. A Saturday market a few minutes from your front door most months of the year, with no admission and easy parking. I've got more on the area on our Hamburg neighborhood page.