What are your Deadlines? We require a $100 deposit for each market and full payment is due 60 days prior to each event. We accept vendors on a rolling basis. However, once a category is filled, we do not accept additional vendors in that category. (Certain categories such as jewelry, natural skincare & handmade candles tend to fill up very quickly.)  We only guarantee spaces once full payment is received. If you do not promptly pay the deposit or booth fee after being accepted, your space may no longer be available. Deposits are not refundable.

When will I be notified if I’ve been approved for the market? We try our best to get back to all applicants within a week of their initial application submission. If you don’t hear back from us in two weeks time, please contact us.

Do you rent tables, chairs, or tents? For the Oak Brook Artisan Market, we do not provide or rent tables, chairs or 10′ x 10′ tents. 

What are your tent requirements?

• 10′ x 10′ Commercial-Grade White Tent
• Minimum of 160 lbs. (40 lbs. per leg) of weights
• Must have 4 solid tent walls available for use if it rains.
• Canopy must be attached to weights and secured to frame.
• Read this tent & weights primer on buying and installing commercial grade tents & required weights.

Dolly-In Show | Porters
Porters are available at $20 for 1/2 hour by appointment only.  Please bring  your own Dolly. We will have limited staff and dolleys to assist in load-in. If you do not bring your own dolley (and don’t reserve a porter), you may need to wait a material length of time if you are relying on the use of our dollies. You cannot physically drive your vehicle up to your space. 

At Oakbrook Center, there is a distance of at least 300-500 feet between curbside loading and the Village Green, depending on your space location. 

At The Drake Hotel – Oak Brook, the distance between the parking lot and your space will depend on your tent space location.

If you’re an outdoor event newbie, we highly recommend you bring a 10′ x 10′ tent that comes with a roller-bag to expedite transport from curbside to your space.

Unload your Vehicle Curbside & then move your vehicle to Long-Term Parking:  We’d like the best parking to be available to the shoppers.  Please unload your vehicle in the area closest to your tent location and then move your car to long-term parking to allow for other vendors to unload and to keep the spaces closest to the market for shoppers.

You must remain open for business from Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm.  Leaving early is not permitted.

Long-Term Parking at Oakbrook Center is in the Outer Lot (not the Inner Lot)
Parking is free. However, Oakbrook Center expressly prohibits both their employees and our Oak Brook Artisan Market vendors and staff members from parking in the inner parking lot.  Inner ring parking is for shoppers only.

Security/Leaving Merchandise Overnight
We can not accept responsibility for lost or stolen items. As an outdoor market the public has 24/7 access to the grounds.   That said we have not had any issues to date with theft and most vendors leave items in their tent over night..

Food Vendors:

• All foods must be made from a commercial, permitted space.
• Temporary Food Permit from DuPage County is REQUIRED if you are handling open food (TCS or non-TCS) or selling packaged, TCS foods-such as ice cream.
• A permit is NOT required to sell closed food products that don’t require refrigeration. (e.g. chips, prepackaged candy).  However, if you are sampling food product, you likely need a DuPage County food permit.

Each vendor handling open food would need to submit an application electronically and pay the permit fee(s) directly to the DuPage County Health Department using the links below.

https://www.dupagehealth.org/temporary-food-service

https://eco.dupagehealth.org/Login#/

For specific questions  related to your individual circumstances — please contact:

Carrie Rannaoja at the DuPage County Health Department

Email: crannaoj@dupagehealth.org

Phone: (630) 221-6113

Liquor Vendors:
1 oz. samples of liquor are allowed with appropriate licence(s) from the Village of Oak Brook. Link to Liquor Licence Application

With appropriate licensing, you may also sell closed bottles of wine, beer or spirits (for the purpose of the consumer taking home).

However, no wine, beer or spirits can be sold for immediate consumption.

Who produces the Oak Brook Artisan Market? The Oak Brook Artisan Market is produced by INV Marketing Group, LLC, a Chicago company based in Oak Brook, IL.

* We are the company behind the Chicago Artisan Market, StyleChicago.com and FashionChicago.

* Launched in 2004, we’ve been promoting & producing pop-up shopping events in and around Chicago for nearly 15 years.

* We have produced over 75 successful pop-up shopping events in large venues including Millennium Park, Union Station, Morgan MFG, W Chicago – City Center, and many more.  For more details about us check this link.

How many vendors in my specific category participate?  Our goal is to have an equal distribution of vendors between the primary categories of Fashion, Food, Home Goods and Art.  Within each category, we are careful not to over-saturate any one subcategory of merchandise to avoid diluting the sales performance for individual artisans. The best way to judge this to review how we curate a market is to look at our past market vendors to get a sense of our vendor mix.

Here is a link to our most recent list of vendors for the Oak Brook Artisan Market.

Where is the Oak Brook Artisan Market at Oakbrook Center?  The market is located on and around the Village Green and also radiates throughout high-traffic areas of the mall.  (The Village Green is located near the Apple store, Starbucks, Tesla, Peloton, Warby Parker, Victoria Secret, Microsoft, Crate & Barrel and Macy’s.)  View mall floor plan.

Where is the Oak Brook Artisan Market at The Drake – Oak Brook? This market is located outside on and around the expansive green lawn and fountain area on the York Rd. side of the hotel

What’s the weather like this time of year?  Glad you asked. July is mid-summer so while it can be warm, it is much less likely to rain for significant periods of time. In October, two weeks can make a big difference. That’s why we go early in October when it’s less likely to rain and an average high is typically a pleasnt 68 to 70 degrees F. Historical average temperatures in the Chicago area as follows:

* Jul 11-12 – 83° high | 70° low
* Oct 3-4 – 68° high | 50° low

Rain can happen  – and this is a “rain or shine” event.  That’s why we require all vendors to have 4 solid tent walls that can be opened & closed as necessary.

How do you market the Oak Brook Artisan Market?  Our company has 15 years of digital media and event marketing experience in Chicago – and we put it to good use. We have a huge list, and numerous digital media properties (including websites, email & social media) that we employ to market the event for months in advance. We also do outreach & PR to local media outlets – both digital and print.