05/04/2026
âChoate Marketplace is a destination for art and artisan goods in southeastern Michigan, featuring different stores with different themes. We usually encourage people to start in the gallery where we feature art created by local artists and the work by students in my art school, as well as work Iâve demoâd in class at the Kateâs Art School.
The first store is called Mountain Nan, and it is all fine and folk crafts. Itâs a lot of fair trade supplies, yarns that come from fiber farmers, and other textile arts.
Merry Thread is a store about the merriment you spread from generation to generation. A lot of the toys in here are very nostalgic; Magic 8 Balls, LEGOs, puzzles⌠just things that make you laugh, no matter what age you are.
The bookstore is Talebearer Bookstore. The owner is very well-read. You can see Post-It notes on a lot of books that say, âAsk me about this bookâ and things like that. She always wants to talk to people about books and about what to read next. Itâs very well-curated. She also has a rabbit that hangs out here, Frankie, and heâs written a book about how he became the owner of a bookstore.
Plot Whisk is a cafĂŠ with a lot of imported goodies and snacks. Many are really unique like chili pop suckers and real bonbons. Just unique and fun things from around the world. Weâre not too highbrow though; you can buy Little Debbies individually!
Crockery is our paint-your-own pottery studio. People can come in here, pick out a piece, and paint it here. We can also do parties of up to 16. Occasionally we do bigger parties and bring in more chairs, but 16 fits very comfortably. All the work is fired in the kiln and can be cherished for a lifetime, as long as you donât drop it!
Game On is our rentable game lounge. Itâs $7 per player, per hour. Itâs a great place for parties, or as something additional for kids to do when theyâre done painting their pottery or while a parent is taking a class.
BuzzBytes is a rentable business center. It has a space to take a Zoom call, and itâs sound-dampened so you could record a podcast or livestream. We have some equipment people can borrow, though we encourage them to bring their own. But if you get here and your stuffâs not working, we might be able to support you with some tech. Weâve got pillows and props. You can kind of change the room up, make it your own, and just jump on Facebook Live or whatever it is and go for it.
The upstairs is a rental venue for all kinds of events. Thereâs a little stage here, candles, the couch has sound built into it. Itâs great for watch parties, karaoke, birthday parties, and business meetings.
The marketplace has been a blessing. We tend to move a lot but have become more stable in this area. We keep being called back. When we moved overseas, I was young and didnât realize that other cities didnât have lakes and the small-town charm. I didnât know you couldnât find that everywhere. I didnât realize this place was so unique. It seems like a lot of people move away and come back. It seems like âAll roads lead to Brooklyn.â I think there is a real charm in the area.
When we moved back, a lot of people said, âThereâs not very much art in Brooklynâ, but they just werenât seeing it. It is an important part of the culture here. People are telling me they have incredible art collections that theyâre going out of town to get framed, or that their kids, their moms and their elderly parents all were artists. Thereâs something here. Itâs more ingrained in us than we realize.
So when I went overseas or moved away, I felt like I was chasing art. But here, I feel like I can be an artist, and they come to me."
âKate Manville Schwartz
Choate Marketplace
102 N. Main St., Brooklyn, MI 49230
