The art - and businesss - scene is growing in Gem Village this summer, with an artisans market starting this weekend.

Two new businesses, a rock shop and a floral shop, also are opening in the rural byway west of Bayfield.

The Village Artisans Market opens this weekend and will run Mondays through Saturdays through October.

It is operated by Karrie Sellke, owner of Studio Sellke, which features the work of 28 artists and doesn't have the room for any more, she explained.

Hence the artisans market. Spaces sell for $20 per day or $60 for a week.

Village Antiques, across the road, is hosting a spring fling next Saturday, May 30, as well.

Sellke and other Gem Village business owners will host the second annual Off the Beaten Path on Saturday, Aug. 22, with more vendor spaces, live music, and food.

"We want to promote Gem Village and its history from the 1940s and 1950s," Sellke said. A huge rock shop used to operate in the area, and an old building called the Rock Club still stands between historic buildings.

Vendors will be an eclectic mix, but Sellke does ask that the items for sale be handmade.

For more information, call Sellke at 884-0565.