Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Stoneking
Hi Beth, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2016 my sister invited me to visit a small craft show held at the Masonic Center in our little town of Kent OH. We had many fond memories of the historic building where the show was being held. It is an Eastlake-style homestead built in 1880 by Marvin Kent, the founder of Kent Ohio. Rockton Lodge #316 took possession of the building in 1923 and my father had been a member of the Lodge for over 60 years so we took every opportunity to visit the building.
During the years that my father was a member he was also the caretaker at times. When my sister and I were young he would take us along with him while he worked at the Lodge, mowing grass and tidying up. We played out on the beautiful wrap around porch and inside, exploring the rooms, and playing out on the lawn. The building boasts 7,335 square feet with 20 rooms, including a ballroom and 10 fireplaces, it was a magical place to us! My father revered that beautiful building and he instilled the importance of it in us. My father passed away in 2014 and we miss him everyday.
After the craft show I spoke with one of my father’s friends, Fred Moore, the current caretaker of the building about possibly holding our own craft show and doing it as a fundraiser for the building. The building now being over 130 years old requires an extraordinary amount of care and maintenance.
I had been a crafter for years, making and designing t-shirts and woodcrafts and attending local shows in area so I thought wouldn’t it be amazing to have local, monthly Flea here in Kent!
So the process was started. I put out an application and started collecting vendors in January 2017 and in May the very first Kent Flea and Makers Market was held! It is currently held the 2nd Saturday of the month from May through our two Holiday Shows in November and December. I along with my sisters Amy and Diane, Fred Moore and Tyson Cromeens (members of the Lodge) and our group of volunteers work hard every month to make sure that our vendors are well taken care of and shoppers have a great experience.
We started out slow and steady and we now have an average of 80 vendors, some inside the home but most outside on the beautiful shaded lawn. We have a wonderful community in Kent we are so thankful that they have supported the Kent Flea since its inception. Proceeds from the show go toward the care and maintenance of the beautiful building and I think that my father would be happy that my sisters and I are helping to preserve the building that he loved.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a relatively smooth road although the weather is a constant worry. Rainy days or extreme heat can sure put a damper on the show. In May of this year we had a tornado warning in the middle of the show with a confirmed tornado a few miles away. There were sirens blaring close by which caused lots of confusion as to the whereabouts of the tornado. It was unsettling for a few minutes but it all ended well.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In 2015 I started designing and screen printing a line of t-shirts based on the city of Kent which I call Home Town Tees. Kent is a college town and is known for it’s downtown music scene and nightlife. I and all of my friends spent our younger years in the bars and taverns around town, hanging out and dancing the night away. We have the best memories so I collected images of these long gone bars from the 70s and 80s and gathered them together on a t-shirt. I also have a design with the current Kent clubs which appeals to the younger folks and also a “Memories” design with the great old shops and diners of the time. They are a big hit with those that have moved away but still have fond memories of the good old days. I also love working with wood whether it’s upcycling old furniture, making cedar bird houses or even building nesting boxes for my chickens.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory would have to be the summer camping trips with my father. My mother would pack us up a big box of food and we’d set out in his VW bus for the 4 hour drive to the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. We’d rough it for long weekends at a primitive camp ground called “Heart’s Content” with no showers or running water. For water my father would drive us to a spot where the clear, cold water would run out of a steep granite wall and he’d fill up our gallon jugs. He’d take us down to the Allegheny River where my great uncles had cabins and we’d cool off in the rocky bottomed river. We’d also drive up and down the mountain roads for hours on end and look for wildlife. We saw lots of deer and even a bear! The highlight was an ice cream cone at the road side stand owned by one of his cousins.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/kentflea/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekentflea
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentflea/
