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The store is open Wednesday through Sunday, with appointment only shopping on Tuesdays and curbside pickup during regular hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heather Seaman is the mind behind Freehand Market in Saxapahaw, a young business with a focus on sustainability and representation for women in business.
The store sells a variety of all-natural, handmade, ethically-sources, womxn-owned and charitable products including apparel, gifts, home goods and more.
Freehand Market owner Heather Seaman has built her business in Saxapahaw around six core values with a focus on sustainability and representation for women.
Heather Seaman is the mind behind Freehand Market in Saxapahaw, a young business with a focus on sustainability and representation for women in business.
Times-News
Freehand Market, Times-News
Open at 1735G Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road for the last year, Freehand Market is a home, gift and women’s boutique selling ethically-sourced and eco-friendly goods.
“I was walking around in Saxapahaw one day and I saw the space was available for lease, and I thought: we really need a shop with curated goods here. Someone should do that. I couldn't get the thought out of my mind even though I had a successful full-time job at the time and zero retail experience,” Seaman said. “I thought about all the times I’ve been traveling and joyfully stumbled into the most beautifully curated, funky little shops on a Sunday afternoon, and Saxapahaw is the perfect place for that. I wanted to create an experience with the shop, but also do business better.”
Freehand Market carries “a wide range of products, from botanical incense to organic makeup, to refillable cleaning products, to hand printed apparel. What ties all of these products together is our focus on 6 core values.”
The store sells a variety of all-natural, handmade, ethically-sources, womxn-owned and charitable products including apparel, gifts, home goods and more.
Times-News
Freehand Market, Times-News
Those core values are all-natural (organic when possible), handmade, ethically sourced, low waste and “womxn”-owned products, as well as products that give back to various charities.
“I wanted to create an experience with the shop but also do business better. I would shop at Target because I wanted cute stuff but felt bad about the amount of plastic packaging and lack of supply-chain transparency,” Seaman recalls of her inspiration for Freehand Market. “I wanted to create the joy of finding cute and unique products but with good business practices that focus on how products affect our planet and the people who make them. It felt so right and so special to be able to do that in Saxapahaw.”
To meet their values, Freehand Market offers many products that are ethically-sourced and “plastic-free, recycled, recyclable, zero waste, refillable, remnant, and upcycled,” according to the store website. One of the ways this is accomplished is with the store’s bulk bar, where shoppers can refill home and body care items like cleaning products, deodorant, hair care and more. Empty jars can be bought at the store or brought from home to fill up and be charged by weight.
Freehand Market is located at 1735-G Saxapahaw Bethlehem Church Road, Saxapahaw.
Times-News
Freehand Market, Times-News
Seaman also strives to stock the store with products from local makers and companies at least 50 percent opened by “womxn,” a broader term to encompass transgender people who identify as women.
“Local makers and artists are the heart of any community. At any given time, we have about 100 makers represented in the shop. About half of them are based in North Carolina, another 20-30 percent in the surrounding area (Southeast), and the rest from other places,” Seaman said. “Almost everything is made in the US, and the products that are sourced internationally are always ethically produced. About 85 percent of our maker companies are at least 50 percent owned by womxn.”
In addition to the retail elements at Freehand Market, a rotating galley space displays local artists’ work at the front of the store and Seaman teaches workshops for makers in subjects like Intro to Tapestry Weaving and Jewelry Stamping 101.
The store is open Wednesday through Sunday, with appointment only shopping on Tuesdays and curbside pickup during regular hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Times-News
Freehand Market, Times-News
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Freehand Market has been forced to change up its practices, like many other small businesses, but has remained committed to their core values. To keep employees and customers healthy, Freehand Market began offering appointment-only shopping days and curbside pickup services.
“Like so many other small businesses, we take COVID-19 seriously and have decided to change up how we serve our community in the interest of public health,” Seaman explained “This decision did not come lightly. As an emerging business, we are still striving toward sustained profitability.”
The shop offers appointment-only shopping on Tuesdays, but is open for regular hours Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Curbside pickup is available during regular hours. Only four guests are allowed in store at a time.
For more information about Freehand Market, visit the website at freehandmarket.com or check out Freehand Market on Facebook and Instagram.
