Vendor Profile Series
Twenty five stories from the last twenty five years of the Chattanooga Market
On the grand scale of things, twenty-five years is not very old. I have trees in my yard that are at least triple that age, and a kitchen countertop which "geological experts" allege is somewhere between a million and a billion years old. This makes twenty-five years seem a bit trivial.
In the scale of human life, twenty-five becomes a more meaningful number—it's a generational marker. Without pushing the extremities, it's quite common for a baby to be born, grow up, and have children of their own within that particular timespan. For the average of us men, it's a third of our estimated lifespan—women tend to get a few more years in. It's also much longer than most marriages, with the average lasting only 8 years (the median is longer, around 21 years—apparently there are a lot of quick exits for some).
For a number of reasons, the lifespan of a typical business is even shorter. The average small business closes in 8.5 years, and only 25% make it to 15 years. Very large businesses (such as those publicly traded in the S&P 500) don’t fare much better, as they are either bought, closed, or otherwise disappear within 18-21 years. As with marriages, some businesses are destined to fail from the start, while others are fearful to change, become stagnant, and eventually die from public boredom.
From this perspective, the Market observing its 25th Season begins to feel more substantial, more meaningful. There are a number of aspects about the Market that fascinate me, one of which is that our crowds and community continue to grow and expand, even well after two decades have passed. I attribute that in part to the freshness that the Market offers—every day is a different mix of vendors, entertainment, conversation, and people met. It’s impossible to grow bored of something that never rests and is ever-changing. The Market has organized approximately 2,500 events with over 120,000 vendor booths, far more than anyone can fully experience. It blows my mind simply considering those numbers—even though I was there for most of them, it’s still overwhelming to consider as a whole.
But within all those numbers, all that change, and those crazy, chaotic market days where millions of people have gathered over the years, a few things have stood out to me. They are quiet stories, gently shared and gathered from people as we worked through the setup and teardown of market days. They are glimpses into private lives, revealing how people went through a career or two (or three) before pursuing a hobby that turned into a market business, demonstrating persistence. They are reminders that life is short and that some of the best times can be spent with complete strangers under a metal roof during a summer rain in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.
To mark our 25th Season, I’ve asked my friend and journalist Barry Courter to collaborate with us to capture a few of these stories—twenty-five of them—and to share them every few weeks throughout the season. Some are stories of people who can look back upon the last twenty-five years with reflection and wisdom, while others are just starting their journey. All have struck me particularly strongly in some way, and all merit a moment of respect.
I hope you will enjoy this journey and also celebrate with us during our 25th Season. The first profile of the series will be published next week as part of our Opening Weekend activities.
-Chris Thomas
The Series
