For over 25 years, Tamarack Marketplace has served as a community hub for artists, makers, and creators from across West Virginia. The locally curated artisan market and gallery sells handmade artwork made by nearly 3,000 artists from 55 counties across the Mountain State. Handcrafted goods from sculptures and paintings to glassworks and textiles are on sale and on display in the marketplace’s permanent retail store and fine arts gallery.
“We are the first marketplace of our kind to bring together artists and craftspeople from around the entire state,” says AJ Dennison, marketing director at Tamarack Marketplace. “We serve artists by helping them display their artwork, gain visibility, and promote them- selves to travelers and locals who visit our destination.”
At Tamarack, groups can also take advantage of a full conference center, a performing arts theater, and an Appalachia-inspired restaurant, which serves cuisine and flavors from around the region. One of Tamarack’s most popular restaurant menu items is its fresh, hand-battered fried green tomato sandwich.
Credit: Tamarack Marketplace
“When groups enter our unique building, they’ll notice it’s circular,” Dennison explains. “Visitors can literally walk a complete circle around the entire building, passing through the art gallery and retail store before ending up right where they started. We also have an outdoor courtyard in the middle of the building. This is where we host many concerts and demonstrations by local artists throughout the warmer months.”
Groups interested in a more hands-on art experience can sign up for a glassblowing class at the marketplace’s studio. During the hands-on glassblowing experience, students can learn how to make ornaments, paperweights, drinking glasses, and more with the help of Tamarack’s on-site resident glassblowing expert.
The marketplace’s convenient location off Interstate 77 makes it a frequent stopping place for tour groups and motorcoaches traveling through Beckley, West Virginia. The town is known for its proximity to numerous wilderness areas and parks, and for its rich history and heritage of the coal mining industry.”
More Markets
Browse the Southeast’s eclectic and charming marketplaces
- Check out Charleston City Market in Charleston, South Carolina, one of the oldest public markets in the country, and browse goods from more than 300 entrepreneurs.
- Shop for unique handcrafted treasures from southern Appalachian crafters at The Folk Art Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
- Commerce, community, and culture meet at the historic French Market District in New Orleans, Louisiana, where groups can shop, dine, listen to music, and soak up more than two centuries of tradition.
- Celebrate Kentucky hospitality and the creative works from those who live in the state at Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
- The area’s most talented artisans sell handcrafted pieces from all mediums at Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace in Abingdon, Virginia.
Written by Erica Zazo
Featured Image: Tamarack Marketplace; Credit: Tamarack Marketplace
