720 Community Markets & Events was founded in 2015 by Lynn and Dave Shimko – lifetime North Cantonians and creative folks by nature. 720 specializes in creating unique, curated, vibrant market-style events at various venues in and around Stark County. Recently, they’ve expanded into hosting events in Summit County, and Kenmore First Friday will be 720’s first-ever night market.
We caught up with Lynn Shimko – one half of 720 and owner Shimko Design where she’s been creating award-winning marketing materials locally and nationally since 1994 to find out more about what 720 is bringing to The BLVD on July 7.
When did you and Dave start 720 Community Markets & Events? What inspired you to start it?
The idea for creating our dream artisan event began during a weekend visit to see our son in Cincinnati — Fall 2015. Our best brainstorming happens on road trips! Our inspiration was wanting to create and sell at arts & crafts events. We realized there was really nothing in our area that felt like what we might want to attend as a vendor and that’s when the concepts began! Once we returned home, we fine tuned the idea and started pitching it to our city.
You’ve hosted a number of events in Stark County – when did you start expanding into Summit County and how many events have you done in Akron? Do you have plans to keep expanding?
We are always open to expanding and trying new areas. There is a lot of interest in what we do and we are hearing from a lot of communities! We had a fun pop-up market in April 2019 at our vendor Whiskertin’s showroom to celebrate their anniversary (Saalfield Building/Akron). It was a hit and we loved it. We also dipped our toes into Summit County with holiday events (720 DEC MKT) at Akron/Canton Airport in 2020 and 2021. Most of our planning and venue selections come down to dates available and ability for a venue to support the amount of parking needed for a 720 Market event! (720 Markets are festival-like and feature 100+ vendors and food trucks!)
What types of vendors/makers should KFF attendees expect to find on July 7?
Because of the size available for Kenmore First Friday, we are bringing a “mini-market version” of the types of vendors we typically feature a.k.a. our “720 Makers Bakers Brewers and Growers.” Each event features a truly unique mix of these types of homemade and homegrown artisans. Look for foodies (wine infused jellies and fresh pickles!), bakers (cake pops!), plants, apparel and more! July 7 is your chance to sample 720 Market in your own neighborhood!
What makes 720’s market stand out from other maker-type market events?
The vibe and the venues! We always hear from vendors and attendees alike that the 720 is so much fun! With our excellent vendors, live music, Camp Creative (make your owns; demos) and craft brews as an integral part of the fun — its a great way to spend the day! 720 Market is fresh, unique and vibrant. Equally part of the fun is where we will go next! Keep watching!
What are you looking forward to the most about hosting an event on Kenmore Blvd?
As with all of our destinations, we love getting to know an area and find out what’s unique and special. We also love meeting new folks wherever we go! It will also be our first night market, so we are excited about that!
Anything else you want people to know?
Supporting small businesses, local artists and growers is a huge part of strengthening communities. We love what we do and how people have embraced and followed us along on our 720 Market journey. We meet the nicest people in our work! Keep up to date with all our events and happenings at eventsby720.com and on social @720market.
Don’t miss your chance to check all that 720 Community Markets & Events has to offer along with live music, standup comedy, food trucks, and more from 6-9 p.m. during our July 7 Kenmore First Friday on The BLVD!