The Market at Fifth

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IN A THRIVING AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY SET BY THE SEA, Asbury Park's modern indie collective, The Market at Fifth, gives a platform to the vendors and makers who are forging ahead. 

Inspired by the natural landscape of the Atlantic, the creators of The Market aimed to establish a space that would sell handmade artisan goods that co-founder Amanda DiRobella described as, "Authentic not pretentious", with a strong emphasis on community. Also underscored in their shop is sustainability. Like the majority of The Market's vendors and businesses — of whom, 50% are locally-based or from a nearby area — they strive to integrate eco-friendly practices into every facet of their process.

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From top to bottom, the spacious shop sets a modest yet striking backdrop of minimalist décor with birch and pine ply to feature the diverse talents of its vendors, with the intention that all of it is to be easily reused and repurposed if necessary. Blessed with an abundance of natural light and the nearby glow of a sparkling ocean to light up its interior, the folks at The Market have also included 100% energy efficient lighting for cloudier days.

With the goal of spreading their eco-friendly spirit, all transactions are offered as paperless and the many, many hangtags are made of recyled materials in order to reduce senseless waste.

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Due to their boardwalk locale, The Market chose to offer some food via a café for hungry shoppers and beachgoers. Talula's Outpost (an extension of a local resturant) created an easy grab and go menu that they call "farm to boardwalk", featuring locally-sourced, organic, and handmade (re: from scratch) items. 

Much of The Market's draw comes from their unique and diverse array of products, most of which are handmade, vintage, or repurposed items given new life and charm. "We're always looking to increase our sustainability efforts", says manager Teeter Sperber. "We're learning as we go". Their learning curve certainly has not stopped them, "The power is in the collective "adds DiRobella, "Nothing good comes easy — kindness and honesty are everything". 

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Visit The Market in Asbury Park at Fifth Avenue and check out their online shop, here.