Live music filled the air of Ames on Sunday where makers, artists, vintage sellers and food trucks made way for the Lucky Star Iowa market to make its annual return.
The market, which took place at the downtown Fareway’s parking lot, was filled with 46 vendors selling vintage, handmade and other goodies, three coffee trucks, three food trucks and even an ice cream truck.
“I want the community to thrive and be interesting and vibrant,” market founder Jody Bergan Bennett told the Voice. “I think it has become a little bit of an incubator for creative creators and makers, or small creative entrepreneur businesses to get a start.”
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors strolled through the market, grabbing gifts for loved ones, such as cat magnets from BCE Ceramics, maybe a $1 doodle from Craig Miller Studio to hang up on their refrigerator.
Saltlickers, a Nevada-based company specializing in homemade seasonings, offered a wide variety of rubs, spices and other blends perfect for upcoming summer cookouts or even Fathers’ Day.
Other vendors had paintings, plants, candles, clothing and more.
The voices of Ames-based band, the Perfect Strangers, and the Voice’s own contributor Fred Love, serenaded attendees with live music throughout the day.
A visit to the market wouldn’t be complete without a coffee in hand from one of the market’s three coffee vendors.
Vintage Road Coffee, the Bell Bottom Mobile Cafe and Bean Caffeinated offered coffees, teas and more.
Bean Caffeinated’s owner, Raechel Dearborn, said a day at the market was “living the dream.”
Macubana, Hungry Boys and The Funny Onion served up lunch while Outside Scoop had creamy options to cool down while the sun beat down on the late spring afternoon.
The Luck Star Iowa market will put on other events during the summer, including a pop up at the
Shipley Schoolhouse in Nevada from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27.
The market will return to the downtown Fareway parking lot on Sunday, Oct. 5.
“I’ve had good feedback that people really enjoy having something so community oriented,” Bergan Bennett Said. “They enjoy farmers markets, but this is a different spin.”
Lucky Star Iowa market returns to Ames after hiatus
The Lucky Star Iowa market was founded in 2013 by Bergan Bennett after her sister’s indie craft and flea market in Denver, Colorado, the Horseshoe Market, saw great success, according to the market’s website.
“I had grown up in Ames, but lived in Boston and Chicago, and I missed just having events like this available,” Bergan Bennett said.
The market came during a time when the “indie craft movement,” as Bergan Bennett says, saw great success. She decided to bring the momentum to Ames.
Lucky Star Iowa’s name is derived from what her and her sister call “lucky finds” when antiquing or thrifting, something they concocted in the 1980s before “thrifting was cool,” Bergan Bennett said.
“One of my intentions was to create a more colorful community and interesting and fun shopping experience that was also more than just shopping,” she said. “It’s an experience to really interact with the person who created the piece.”
The market wasn’t always known as “Lucky Star Iowa” — starting in 2018, it was the Beautiful Land Market, while Bergan Bennett partnered with a local creator from until December 2024.
This year, Bergan Bennett decided she wanted to bring the market back to its roots and restore its original name: Lucky Star.
The June pop-up market marked Lucky Star Iowa’s first market under its restored branding.
“I’m just really honored that all of the vendors who participated were with us for the new kickoff, and kind of the new chapter,” Bergan Bennett said. “And it’s kind of humbling that they put their trust in me.”
