When Temperance Beer Co. first opened Smittytown Market in a parking lot in 2020, bartender Hannah Fishkin, who helps run the market, said the team wanted to bolster Evanston small businesses during the pandemic. 

“It seemed like the perfect opportunity to help other people who would probably also have been struggling through the pandemic to keep their business open and find new ways to stay afloat,” she said.

Now Smittytown, named after the brewery’s English-style amber ale, runs every Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. in the brewery’s back operation room where local artisans and small businesses set up shop. 

Temperance, which itself started as a small local business about eight years ago, has expanded to ship nationally and attract visitors from around the country, Fishkin said. She said the company now wants to “pay it forward” to the community that helped it grow. 

To vendors at Smittytown, that community-oriented mindset is also important. 

Sara Shaaban, the sole owner and manager of Witchy Woman World Apothecary, became a Smittytown vendor in March after being approached by Temperance at a different market. She sells handcrafted, natural bath and body care made from ethically-sourced ingredients. 

In honor of Temperance, Shaaban crafted an exclusive shower bomb steamer with the brewery’s barrel-aged stout, which she said received positive feedback. Building those community connections is one of her favorite parts about markets, she said. 

“I love this community very, very much,” Shaaban said. The community has welcomed me with open arms…and so I feel very fortunate.” 

Another regular vendor, Skokie Provisions, is an artisan food company that sells products like specialty toffee, spreads and seasonings. 

Owner and chef John Reed said markets like Smittytown as an opportunity to grow the brand and garner local support. 

“We all are kind of in a symbiotic relationship with (Temperance),” Reed said. “And I think that works. It’s a fun place to be.” 

On Sunday, first-time Smittytown vendor Jeremy Goodnight operated a table for his clothing brand, Alive. He said his Black-owned and community-based business focuses on “celebrating being alive.” 

As a self-described people-person, Goodnight says he likes how markets enable more personal interactions with customers. 

“I’d be here at a pop-up… just meeting people as I’m creating my stuff,” Goodnight said. “They see me with (Alive clothing) on and like it, and that’s how it goes.” 

Shaaban, Reed and Goodnight all started and grew their businesses during the pandemic, they said, which reflects Temperance’s original intention with the market. 

Fishkin, who was born and raised in Evanston, said she has witnessed West Evanston, where Temperance is located, change significantly over her lifetime. According to her, West Evanston has seen expensive apartment complexes and chain businesses replace many small businesses, causing the area to lose what she described as its “local business charm.”

Yet as Smittytown continues to grow, she said she is happy to see the market bring back the cheerful environment of the business district. 

“I think it’s a lovely little hub of Evanston that needs a little more love, so I am happy we’re here and we’re doing something that will bring others out here as well,” Fishkin said. 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @shannonmtyler

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Twitter: @karapeeler

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