SHOPBOX UPDATE // 3rd Ward's Dekalb Market Shop Gets a Lift

In the abstract, it's quite cool that a crane can just pick something up as large as a shipping container and move it 200 feet, no sweat. Though if that shipping container houses a shop that you've spent months meticulously curating and arranging, it can be a little terrifying to see it all go down. "I didn't want to watch--but I did," says 3rd Ward's director of retail, Jeffrey Opdyke. "It's like one of those reality TV shows where the characters are drinking too much and falling all over the streets of Italy."

Fortunately, all went well, and SHOPBOX is now right at the entrance to Dekalb Market, as opposed to back by the bathrooms. Opdyke says that once the market saw how beautiful the shop was, they wanted it front and center.

Take a second and watch our video of the death-defying move here:

See? Nothing to it.

A much-relieved Opdyke believes the new locale could serve as a boost for the producers of the goods inside. "I'm excited about these new beautifully hand-turned wooden mallets by Ben Light," Opdyke says. "I'm also really excited about Topo Backpacks. I had to get one for myself, and let me tell you, it may be the best backpack I've ever bought." Opdyke is excited to currently be selling all American-made goods, saying that it's a way for 3rd Warders to see that there is a market for what they're doing.

"The 3rd Ward retail program is just beginning," Opdyke says. "The SHOPBOX was the first iteration of retail for 3rd Ward.  In addition to changing out the products at the SHOPBOX in the upcoming months, we have begun to start selling products at 3rd Ward's flagship location on Morgan Ave."

Dekalb Market is also having a bit of a growth spurt; it's actually doubling in size, with 30 new vendors opening up shop on October 15. One of them will be Jacques Torres, so you'll have chocolate to fuel your shopping adventure, which is key. We're also pretty excited for The {New New} Etsy, a rotating outlet for Etsy vendors. As scary as change may be--especially when it involves a crane--we're thrilled to see things are continuing to grow at Dekalb Market and SHOPBOX.

--Layla Schlack