Michal Labardea, of Oakton, Va., purchases a heart filled with lavender potpourri sachets for her mother from Farminique Gifts owner Wendy Kline, right, in The Love Shack on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Valentine’s Day shoppers congregated in downtown Shepherdstown over the weekend, to take a look at the two separate markets being held along German Street.

In Evolve, from Friday through Sunday, five vendors were selling their handcrafted wares in The Love Shack market. According to organizers Betty and Steve Shepherd, the event proved to be a success

“We think Shepherstown’s magical. It’s just an awesome town!” Betty said, mentioning their business, Shepherds Blessings LLC, is based out of her family’s home on River Road. “We really like Evolve for our events. It’s a nice setting for showing our work, and the owners even advertise for us!”

Since the five-year-old business will soon be moving into its first brick-and-mortar location at 121 West German Street next month, Betty said she has been pleased to see the good turnout for this market, even though the event was somewhat different from their last market in town, over the six-day period following Thanksgiving 2021.

“We changed up the vendors some, because Shepherdstown is a growing, thriving town,” Betty said. “[These markets] gave us the opportunity to try out what it was like to have a store in Shepherdstown!”

Rock Fusion Studio owner Tatyana Zidarov shows off some of her Valentine’s Day-themed work, which she crafted for shoppers at Saturday’s Fifth Annual Shepherdstown Valentine’s Handmade Market in the War Memorial Building. Tabitha Johnston

The one vendor who remained the same for both of the markets in Evolve, other than Shepherds Blessings, was Farminique Gifts, owned by Inwood resident Wendy Kline. While Shepherds Blessings sold handmade goats milk soap, organic teas and single-origin coffee, Kline’s business featured a variety of Valentine’s Day floral bouquets and gifts.

“The Valentine’s market has been busy, as far as people coming in today,” Kline said, mentioning this has been the first event she has sold fresh, rather than artificial, flowers at. “One day I hope to open up my own florist shop.”

A block down the street, being held in the War Memorial Building for the first time, was the Fifth Annual Shepherdstown Valentine’s Handmade Market on Saturday. According to organizer and Wild Rose Soap Company owner Michelle Kwiatkowski, the new location seemed to lead to an increase in sales, in comparison with when it was previously held at the now-closed Town Run Tap House & Community Pub.

“It’s been good! I think that there’s been better sales than at our former location,” Kwiatkowski said, mentioning the show was the second she has held at the WMB, with the first being held in Dec. 2021. “We try to keep it fun! We had live music earlier in the day and door prizes from the vendors. At the door, each shopper automatically gets one ticket for the door prize raffle, and with each purchase, they get another one!”

Kwiatkowski said there were 35 vendors selling in the market, on both floors of the WMB. And, just as with the shoppers, who Kwiatkowski and other vendors noted widely ranged in age, the vendors were also of all ages, from the very experienced artisan to a group of Shepherd University art students to the youngest two vendors, who were 10 and 11 years-old.

Shoppers check out one of the window displays for The Love Shack, a Valentine’s Day market being held in Evolve over the weekend. Tabitha Johnston

“I think a decent number of people were shopping for themselves, not just for gifts. At Valentine’s Day shows, you really never know what people will want,” said DreamSister Studio owner Donna Wallace, as she arranged some of her heart-shaped pottery. “I made heart magnets and hangings for Valentine’s Day. We didn’t sell as many as I expected of those. Instead, we sold more jewelry than anything else.”

Shoppers browse through the wares of vendors on the first floor of the War Memorial Building, during the Fifth Annual Shepherdstown Valentine’s Handmade Market Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Handmade pottery hearts, by DreamSister Studio designer Donna Wallace, were some of the other Valentine’s Day-themed items on sale at the Fifth Annual Shepherdstown Valentine’s Handmade Market in the War Memorial Building on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston