By Chris Nguyen
J Camp Live! staff
Tucked in the hustle and bustle of the SoWa Open Market, Jaime Blanche, 45, is performing. There are no lights beaming down heavily on him, no director shouting orders, no stage props supporting him. Nonetheless, Blanche, a jewelry salesman, is still on stage.
“This [market] is actually my show right now,” Blanche said. “This is it and [the shoppers are] my audience, with me as a salesman.”
Not surprisingly, the owner and designer of Pearle Shop is also an actor and singer. Blanche has been a part of SoWa, the Boston neighborhood named for its location south of Washington Street, for four of the six years since the outdoor market opened.
He is but one of many vendors there. The market offers an alternative to the usual suburban mall. Local artists, craftsmen, farmers and others open tents outside in the South End of Boston throughout Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as tourists, local Bostonians and the occasional celebrity file through the vendors.
PEARLY WHITES: Stall ownerand pearl jewelry expert, Jaime Blanche, 45, helps customers to pick a set of bangles. Blanche also ensures that all of the pearls that he produces come from his home nation and source of inspiration: the Philippines. Jega Sanmugam / J Camp Live!
The enduring popularity of SoWa, even in the current recession, has been the emphasis the market puts on uniqueness rather than ubiquity, selling everything from original painting and artwork to t-shirts.
“Just having your own company is extremely fulfilling to see the success and progress,” It Says Love vendor Olivia Chamberlain said. “People liking what you do and loving your ideas, it just feels absolutely amazing, and being your own boss and creative as you can be or want to be is a wonderful feeling.”
What’s more is that it offers vendors, like Blanche, a chance to break free from the monotony of an office job and to branch out to their passions.
With jewelry-making, Blanche is able to incorporate his theatrical skills with his artistry. Blanche becomes alive and extra-charming as shoppers stop to look through his necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Also, he gets to incorporate his own life and history within his designs.
“Every time I sell one of my pieces, I sell my home [in the Philippines] to others,” Blanche said. “It helps me also because I go back to the Philippines to get different pearls, different designers. And I’m hoping that in the future, I can have a store where I can not only sell jewelry but Philippine products.”
Not only do the pearls come from his home for over 30 years, but his designs become a reflection of scenic nature of his the Philippines.
With sellers such as Blanche, SoWa becomes so much larger than a mere store filled with part-time teenage employees. The vendors themselves become an innate part of its character. They found something as an outlet and to share their makings.
Near the antique building, Justin Powers and Sarah McManus have just in the last month participated in SoWa with their dog bandana shop, Scout and Lu. Neither have any experience in fashion, but they were inspired on a whim.
“In the South End, in particular, there’s a large concentration of dogs and different types of dogs,” Powers said. “We wanted to offer something to make any dog feel fancy. We started off by making them for our dogs, Scout and Lu.”
SoWa has become in its short history a retail haven for up and coming designers and artists.
“It’s a great crowd of people, great artists and just amazing to be around a talented group of people, different people every week, travelers from out of town and it’s amazing how many different people come to the market,” Chamberlain said.
