Crafted Social hosted their third Winter Market, featuring local artists and craftsmen, food trucks, and an indoor ice-skating rink. 

On Dec 6. and Dec. 7, vendors sold their work alongside at the second Crafted Social Winter Market to be held at Greyline Station. 

The winter market began in 2022 in the Loudon House and moved to Greyline Station in 2023. 

According to Crafted Social’s website, their goal is to uplift local artists through markets, intimate shopping experiences and gallery shows. 

Founders of Craft Social, Anna Gregory and David Kring, put on curated events of different craftsmen for local Kentucky artists.  

Gregory and Kring are both Kentucky-based, full-time artists who began Crafted Social in the spring of 2019 to make Kentucky a blossoming art hub. 

The market featured returning artists like LouRae Stacy, owner of Calico Rugs. 

“This is my second time selling here (Greyline). This same market, they did the same thing last year, and I did really well and definitely wanted to come back for this year,” Stacy said.

Along with returning artists, new vendors set up at the market to showcase and sell their work. 

“This is my first time at Greyline and with Crafted Social,” Irene Mudd, owner of Guided Hand Studio said. 

Mudd began her work in 2018 making tarot decks and now does “mixed-media” work involving illustrations and fabric with themes of magic. 

“It’s a great coming together of a bunch of different kinds of artists that have really honed their craft, which is awesome,” Mudd said. 

Lexington community members came to view vendor’s works and shop among them. 

“It’s really awesome to see all the local vendors and everything that they come up with. Plus it’s also an easy way to get all your Christmas shopping done in one go,” customer Samantha Dearing said.

Kevin Parido, owner of Shepherds Forge, said he has been selling and showing off his bladesmith and forging work consistently for around three years at markets. 

“David and Anna (the event founders) are great people. They’ve been great to work with, responsive, they take this seriously. They are both artists so that makes a difference. It’s just been a really cool experience being here,” Parido said. “This is my favorite market of the year by far.” 

Since its beginning in 2019, Crafted Social has put on seven markets and one online gallery show to feature local artists. 

Hannah Helstrom, an attendee, said she liked to come to the market because she is an artist herself and she wanted to see what the Kentucky market scene had to offer. 

“I came from the Netherlands and they used to have Christmas markets every day during December so I miss that a lot,” Helstrom said. “I just wanted to see what they would do here in Kentucky.”