Their shopping at the market included the Worthey Peppers booth of Tyler Worthey, a senior at Neoga High School. Worthey said he started his business three years ago as an FFA project that later won the top prize at state and placed in the top 15 nationally in the processing category.

Now focused on FFA’s sales category, Worthey said he and his mother, Angie, have expanded to jams and jellies. He said the original hot sauce part of the business has grown to include many flavors based on the 100 pepper plants in their garden, including ghost peppers and Carolina reapers.

“We have everything from no heat to stupid hot heat,” Worthey said, adding that he began as a plain eater who used no condiments before developing a taste for his hot sauces.

Artisan food makers at the market also included Crystal’s Freeze Dried Goodies of Charleston. Crystal Beech said she and her husband, James, saw the growing popularity of these snacks, so they decided to launch a business earlier this month using their freeze dryer.

James and Crystal Beech said they have enjoyed seeing how freeze drying changes the consistency of candy, such as Jolly Ranchers becoming puffy and caramel cold brew M&M’s taking on a rich caramel latte taste. They also offer freeze-dried applies, strawberries, sweet peppers and pickle chips.

Crystal’s Freeze Dried Goodies got an early start at the mall by opening on Black Friday.

“It was busy. We literally closed at 5 p.m. We had nothing much left,” Crystal Beech said, adding that she and her husband had to make more candy late into the night. “We had to try to recover as much as we could.”

While snacking on pickle chips with her mom, Jamie Mayhall, on Saturday at the mall, Maci Mayhall of Charleston recalled visiting the Old Navy store in Champaign the day before, on Black Friday. She said the line of customers there wound its way through that store three times before reaching the registers.

Jamie Mayhall, also of Charleston, said they headed out for a more relaxing day of shopping together on Saturday and were pleasantly surprised to find the artisan market.

“It’s been good. They have quite a lot of items, a lot of items you don’t normally see around here,” Jamie Mayhall said.

The Arts Council increased the size of the market by moving it to the mall last year after holding it at smaller venues in the past. The council expanded the market from one day to two this year.

One of the new artisans at this year’s market is Left Hand Creations owner Marina Rhine of Mattoon, who paints and draws artwork. Her products include painted canvases, aprons, bags, hats, ornaments and signs.

Rhine, a sophomore business major at Lake Land College, said her experience being interviewed for her classes helped with taking her products public for the first time on Saturday.

“That really helped me to get out of my comfort zone,” Rhine said, adding that she is normally shy but enjoyed visiting with prospective customers.

Madz Crochet Co. owner Madi Foor of Charleston, a freshman agriculture production and management major at Lake Land, was also among the new artisans.

Foor, who has sewn for several years, said she started crocheting in May and found that she enjoys the creative outlet of making plush toys and other gift items. She also has gotten her siblings, 15-year-old Abby and 13-year-old Carter, helping with her new business.

“They all do a little bit of crocheting, so it’s a family thing,” Foor said.