Portland Saturday Market (which is, of course, open on Sundays as well) is a sort of curated street fair. Founded in 1974 as a support for local artisans, it has grown over the years into the largest weekly open-air arts and crafts market in the United States.
Incorporated as a special class of institution, the market (nonprofit) is governed by its members (for profit). At present there are some 250 booth spaces available every weekend. With more than 400 members, a steady stream of newcomers, and occasional participants, the mix of vendors is never quite the same on any given day. These vendors offer an amazing array of items—audio recordings, earrings, coffee mugs, sculptures, drawings, musical instruments, leatherwork, cat toys, curious cabinetry, jams and jellies, walking sticks, and more.
Everything for sale at the market has been handmade by the people selling it. Each individual vendor has gone through a rigorous vetting process to assure compliance with market standards that focus heavily on artistic involvement and quality of craftsmanship.
A product review committee—a jury made up of market members—meets regularly to assess the applications of new exhibitors. They take the idea of handcraftedness very seriously.
Each category of item offered for sale at the market has its own set of guidelines. For instance, if you are making dolls, you may use purchased eyes and noses but no commercially purchased heads, hands, or feet. If you are making perfume, you must distill your own oils or blend "uncompounded" oils in a unique recipe of no fewer than three ingredients. There is a similar set of guidelines for candles, clothing, graphic arts, pottery, jewelry, windchimes, etc.
The Market is not just arts, crafts, and food—it is people to watch. With more than a million visitors every year, it is a phrenologist's playground, a subject-rich environment that encourages one to produce their very own "handcrafted" opinion of the general body politic.