A popular art and design holiday market comes to Chestnut Hill with the return of PhilaMRKT this Saturday, Dec. 16.

“We’re hoping to get our artists in front of local folks,” said market organizer Steve DeCusatis. “This will be a little different from the average holiday market.”

Vendors at PhilaMRKT, more than a dozen Philadelphia-area artists and designers, will show gift-worthy wares ranging from fun stocking stuffers to holiday cards, clothing, jewelry, toys, housewares and artwork. What makes each item unique, DeCusatis said, is the design sensibility of the participating artists. 

Their emphasis on graphic arts, typography and iconography will be evident in the works offered: Many are hand-printed by silkscreen or letterpress, or using antique wooden or metal type; “they’re hand-inked, embossed, very tactile,” DeCusatis said.  And there’s a distinct local angle, in works from whimsical city maps to Philly-centric t-shirts and hats. 

Shoppers at the holiday pop-up can also assemble their own plant arrangements at the market’s “succulent bar.” 

DeCusatis, whose design and branding firm has been based in Chestnut Hill for the past decade, debuted PhilaMRKT with a group of fellow artists in 2017. The annual pop-up was held at different venues in Center City, Spring Garden and Manayunk before being sidelined by the Covid pandemic. 

The concept was revived this year when Christopher Plant, owner of the Kismet Cowork space where DeCusatis is based, offered up the Willow Grove Avenue building to host a new PhilaMRKT. 

“It’s a great space for getting work done, but also a great space for events,” Plant said. The massive stone building at 12 West Willow Grove was built to be a garage and later used as a wartime munitions factory and warehouse before being converted by Plant into a warm, airy loft space for Kismet and other tenants. 

DeCusatis, with fellow PhilaMRKT organizers Mario Zucca, the map illustrator, and Josh Carter, an artist and animator, say they plan a family-friendly party vibe for the event. Refreshments, coffee and snacks will be available, and DJ Dynowright will provide music to shop by. 

Illustrator Molly Egan, whose bright prints of people, pets and flowers adorn books, cards, holiday ornaments and more, has shown her work at PhilaMRKT since 2017. 

“I don't often have a chance to interact with customers in person, since I do nearly all of my sales online,” she said. “I love getting to chat with folks that are shopping and meet artists in person that I have gotten to know online. 

“I haven't done an art market since before the pandemic, so I'm truly looking forward to it,” Egan said.

Since its first three annual shows, PhilaMRKT has acquired “a little bit of a following,” DeCusatis said. “It’s not like it’s a Clover Market” – the sprawling fair that comes to Chestnut Hill each spring and fall – “but it’s a cozy set-up. And it’s indoors! That’s a bonus” in wintry weather, he added.  

Plant, of Kismet Cowork, said he was happy PhilaMRKT could add a little more excitement to Chestnut Hill’s lower blocks of Germantown Avenue, if only for one day. The once-quiet stretch has livened up in the past year with the opening of new shops and cafes, as well as the relocation of the local business association to nearby East Springfield Avenue. 

Noting the Multiverse bookstore and Cider Belly bar that both recently opened around the corner from Kismet, Plant said “We’re seeing so much vitality at this end of the hill. I think the lower hill is a really cool place to be.”

The one-day-only PhilaMRKT will be held indoors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at Kismet Cowork, 12 W. Willow Grove Ave. in Chestnut Hill.  

For more information, visit PhilaMRKT.com or follow @philaMRKT on Instagram and Twitter.