We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Artemis Moon-Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Artemis, thanks for joining us today. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

The key to creating a more inclusive workplace is being invested in the whole of community, because diversity is fundamental to any environment. The very reason we started New Moon was due to the fact we, as artists ourselves, didn’t feel awarded the same opportunities in community spaces as other, more affluent and established market vendors. We noticed an alarming lack of diversity in race, ethnicity, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation and even makes and art themselves. I personally was specifically impacted by one particular market event downtown that I participated in that seemingly had a preference in vendor appearance and products — this was unacceptable to me as I had no success in this space and it moved me to think deeply about what that meant for folks around the city that were even more overlooked than I. New Moon was birthed with inclusivity, diversity and fairness at the forefront of our minds, as we were completely motivated by creating something that didn’t yet exist in our space: A professional, fair and equal marketplace for everyone regardless of what they looked like, who they were, what they made as well as what stage they were at in their artistic journey.

Artemis, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

New Moon Makers Market is a queer-founded and led makers market dedicated to changing the market scene in St. Pete and the greater Tampa Bay area. We prioritize low vendor fees and accessibility for both makers and patrons, centralizing our beautiful and colorful community by showcasing art made from the hands of your neighbors, colleagues, peers and strangers alike. We provide a safe space for all while also fostering the embrace of the beauty of our tight-knit and abundant community. Our market was birthed out of desperation for a space for us, by us and has blossomed into something so incredible and unexpected, all because of the warm, encouraging championing and endless support of the people in our community. What sets us apart from other markets in the area is the prioritization of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled and neurodivergent *makers* and artists; we do not accept any small business or vending entity that does not create what it sells, as we believe now is as important a time as ever to be uplifting and celebrating artists, potters, jewelry makers, bakers, painters, sewers, service providers, musicians, and so much more. We have discovered so many incredible mediums we weren’t previously aware of through offering this space to makers. Queer creatives in St. Pete are the reason we are where we are today and we are endlessly thankful.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe what helped us most build our reputation as a truly independent business entity was the support and uplifting we experienced from our community members. I often reference that sure, I created this market physically, but the true impact of our success has nothing to do with me as a founder. Our first event was held in a tiny backyard in a small neighborhood in St. Pete with six vendors; our marketing was minimal: flyers posted on poles and business windows downtown, event details discussed via word-of-mouth with friends and coworkers, information posted on our instagram with only a few followers. And yet, the turn out was something we never expected. And when we had to unexpectedly find a new host location after just our first and only event, our community followed and every event since, has doubled, tripled in outreach. We would be nothing and nowhere without the support of our community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Just this past market season, right before our final event before we took our summer break, we learned that our permanent host location that we have lived at for the past few years was closing indefinitely and immediately, completely unexpectedly. We learned this information just two weeks before our final event and obviously had no clue what to do. I reached out to two fantastic event coordinators and great friends of mine to see if they would be able to offer their space to us and both, without hesitation or even hearing the details of the event, said yes unconditionally. We were luckily able to softly land at Cafe Hey in Tampa and had a triumphant final market, but as that was just a temporary relocation, and we are a fundamentally St. Pete event, we still had to scramble to find a permanent host location for our permanent season, or our very operations would no longer be possible. After much planning, contacting and tallying, we were thankfully able to secure a Fall Residency with The Factory and The Fairgrounds, of which we are so thankful. This resilience is foundational to our business and demonstrates our commitment to providing our community with the highest quality experience possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://newmoonmakersmarket.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/newmoonmakersmarket
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/newmoonmakersmarket
• Other: venmo: @newmoonmakersmarket for all donations and contributions

Image Credits

@in.y0ur.h4nds on instagram