Ken’s Garden Center is hosting their Mother’s Day Market

Ken’s Garden Center is hosting their Mother’s Day Market on May 9 and 10, just in time to find something for the mother, grandmother or wife in everyone’s life. The market will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and will highlight roughly 40 different vendors from local businesses across Alaska.

Vendors at this year’s Mother’s Day Market will be offering jewelry, wooden toys, candles, sourdough bread and baked goods, salsas, honey, pottery, hats, fresh cut flowers, macrame, paintings, fudge, tallow and more. Ken’s Garden Center will also have a fresh shipment of outdoor plants available for purchase to include lilacs, fruit trees, perennials, spruce trees, flowering shrubs and a variety of native Alaskan plants.

There will be a variety of houseplants and gift items for sale in their storefront. Included in their storefront is their mocktail bar, The Watering Can, where they will be providing fun non-alcoholic beverages for everyone in the family.

“It’s going to be pretty crazy,” Storefront Manager Emma Jensen said.

Over two thousand people are expected to attend this year’s market, according to Jensen. Just as important as the event itself are the relationships that are created between Ken’s Garden Center and the vendors, and between the vendors and their customers.

“I think it’s important because it brings the community in,” Jensen said. “It’s really exciting to have so many people. A lot of these people have never come to the garden center before or people that come to the garden center don’t know that we’re doing this and they get to see all these amazing local vendors here. So it’s kind of a win-win for everyone because we get to bring in so many new people and meet so many new people and develop lasting relationships and return customers that come back to our store.”

Ken’s Garden Center hosts a variety of seminars and classes, and a vendor market every second Saturday of the month. The Mother’s Day Market is special because they will be open two days prior to the holiday this year. Hosting these events and connecting with the community isn’t just fun - building relationships within the community is an integral component to the success of Ken’s Garden Center.

“One of our mission statements for Ken’s is to develop a really positive relationship with the community,” Jensen said. “This is one of our ways to try to achieve that.”