The Artisan Market at 305

Thank you for voting us as “The Best Place to Buy Locally Made Art in Durham”!

The Artisan Market at 305 in downtown Durham celebrated its 6 year anniversary! We are still growing with over 59 of your favorite local artists and so many unique handmade gifts and pieces of art. All kinds of fun and new art arriving every week!  Your support and appreciation of our artists is what makes us tick and we want to thank you!

The Artisan Market at 305 is a collective of over 59 local artists from North Carolina. Our store offers a variety of handmade gifts and art for your home and friends. Our artists want to serve you! They offer custom work ready in a reasonable time and are often happy to collaborate with you on special projects.

Come browse our fabulous jewelry, pottery, fiber art, glass, photography, paintings, candles, hilarious cards, tee shirts, signs, baby onesies, air plants, journals, hand felted gnomes and purses, organic soaps, hand knitted baby sweaters, adult hats and scarves, and lots of Durham themed art!

Our goal is to be your best shopping experience and your go to place for cool art and gifts!

Our store owner Karen Casey was interviewed on Spectrum News! See the video and read the article.

E-Gift Cards Available

Thank you so much for your interest in buying a gift card! The Artisan Market at 305 is honored to provide you with functional, fun, local art. We have works by many NC artists and makers in our store, many of whom do this full-time. Here is a list of them. The majority have websites or are on other social media platforms. Now, more than ever, these talented people would appreciate you purchasing your next gift from them.

Come visit us in downtown Durham!

Karen is excited to have a woman-owned business in downtown and appreciates Durham’s inclusive, welcoming and diverse reputation. She is incredibly grateful that her husband is also very artistic, handy and enthusiastically has joined in the efforts to up fit the space into a storefront and lend hours of support.

See samples of works by our artists and visit us soon!

How We Started:

Karen had been thinking about it for awhile; retail space downtown. As a founding member of the Durham Craft Market, she was regularly asked where she could be found other than Saturday mornings at the market. And now the answer is easy. The Artisan Market at 305!

The store opened at 305 East Chapel Hill Street on May 19, 2017 as part of Dan Ellison’s Durham Arts Space. Dan has long been a supporter of artists in Durham and has a variety of artists in the upstairs part of his 305 space. The storefront at 305 is the home for Karen’s art as well as more than 50 other local artists from across North Carolina.

As an artist herself, Karen has curated a group of people that fits the description of interesting, inviting, practical, fun, and affordable! The artists in the store will reflect a range of talent from the Durham Craft Market and other artists from around the state.

Karen says, “There is never a time where I don’t love being in the store because Durham has the best customers and I love meeting them and sharing the work of our local talent.”

Historic Palms Restaurant

The 305 space is a big part of Durham’s history. The building is a historic landmark and once housed The Palms Restaurant, which opened in 1932 and remained open for 50 years. Archives indicate, the Palms “was evidently the place to do business and be seen downtown” and was even referred to as “the bellybutton of Durham”!

Contact Us

Please email us at theartisanmarketat305@gmail.com or complete the form below: