New Fenton Street Market strives to paint neighborhood with art - Gazette

Vendors to reflect diversity and creativity of Fenton Village

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

Over a cup of coffee at Highland Coffee on Fenton Street in Silver Spring earlier this summer, resident Hannah McCann started daydreaming.

Idly staring at the intersection of Fenton and Silver Spring Avenue across the street, she didn't see the parking lot that was there. Instead, McCann saw her own vision of what the Fenton Village neighborhood should look like:

"Something a little funkier than you'd see in downtown Silver Spring," McCann said. "There are a lot of interesting people in our neighborhood, and I hold out hope that Fenton Village might eventually reflect that eclectic character."

Maybe it was the caffeine, but the 36-year-old stay-at-home mom abruptly walked over to the lot, called a phone number listed on a sign nearby and asked if the property owner could accommodate her vision: a vibrant market with artists from Silver Spring selling unique wares to their neighbors and visitors from across the region.

To her surprise, the answer was "Yes.''

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