While Portlanders prepared for the Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, Frida Lu and Black Bettie showed off their fire engine red costumes at the Winter Market in Sellwood, twirling to win the spectator's votes.

Frida Lu and Black Bettie, by the way, are dogs. The pair competed against five other pups in the market’s "Puppy Bowl," a canine costume and personality contest.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to dress the girls up,” said owner Emily Hall. “I needed an excuse to bring out the costumes.”

The contest, named after Animal Planet's popular Super Bowl Sunday program featuring puppies playing with toy footballs, was intended to promote the young winter market, which opened Nov. 9.

Vendor Jennifer Santos said the fledgling market was scarce at first, but has grown noticeably each week. The vendors have become a tight knit community, she said, rallying around their common goal to see the new market succeed.

The Sellwood winter market, which is located on Southeast 17th Avenue south of Clatsop Street, was born to fill the local cold-weather market void. Josh Stephens said on the last fall day of another local market he overheard a vendor wish for a spot to sell goods during the winter.

Stephens owns Stone Cottage, a tea, spice and herb shop in Sellwood, and offered to let the vendors set up their tables on the store's property free of charge.



“Since we started this the energy has just been amazing,” he said. “My whole thing with all this is just to allow people to have a place to sell their stuff.”

He understands the vendors' passion for selling unique goods, Stephens said. He was a manager at Limbo, an herb and spice shop in Woodstock, for years. When the store closed abruptly in 2011, he said, he put his life savings toward opening a shop to take it's place.

He knew people by name who relied on Limbo's herbal medicines, he said, and didn't want those customers to go without. So he founded Stone Cottage. He's fortunate to have his own storefront, he said, and wants to do what he can to help vendors who don't have that luxury.

Elena Huerta appreciates it. The 22-year-old, whose 4-pound Chihuahua-Beagle mix dressed in a bee sweater won first place in the Puppy Bowl, sells art and jewelry at the winter market.

“I don’t have a physical store,” she said, “so it’s been nice to have a place to sell and tell people to meet me during the winter.”

The market has done more than just serve vendors, said John Rueschenberg, Stephen’s partner and manager of the market. The weekly event has also promoted neighborhood community and drawn shoppers to the spice shop, which relocated from Southeast 39th Avenue and Gladstone Street in August.

The market will be open every Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. through May 11, Rueschenberg said. Regular vendors include JK Goats, Marigold Coffee, Rainday Flowers, Ole World Oils, Tana’s Treats and more.

-- Melissa Binder