Church Point native built the market from a photography studio in Plaquemine. Now she's bringing it across the parish line.

Ashlee Bergeron did not plan any of this.

She was a high school teacher and softball coach for six years. Then she left the classroom, picked up a camera and spent the next several years building a photography business. About two years ago, she moved into a studio on Main Street in Plaquemine and saw something bigger.

"I wanted to start an artisan's market," Bergeron said. "I'm a photographer by trade, obviously an artist. So I was like, where can we celebrate artists? How can we do that?"

She opened the first Full Moon Market in December 2024 with somewhere between six and nine vendors. It happened to fall on the same night as a large event on Railroad Avenue in Plaquemine, but foot traffic was good and the energy was right.

"It doubled every month until June, when we were full," she said.

By this spring, Full Moon Market had grown to more than 40 vendors per event. But after a year and a half, Bergeron said it was time to try something new. Heavy rains had disrupted several events early in the year, and she wanted to shake things up.

So she called Mayor Scot Rhodes.

"I was like, hey, how do you feel about us bringing Full Moon Market to Brusly down the road?" Bergeron said. "We're a little closer to the interstate. We have a lot of vendors from the other side. We have a lot of foot traffic from the other side. It was a win-win."

Rhodes was on board.

"No pun intended, he was over the moon to have us," Bergeron said.

The first Brusly Full Moon Market is Friday, Aug. 28 at St. James Park. Gates open at 6 p.m. with a ribbon cutting. Early birds are welcome at 5:45.

Bergeron said she expects close to 35 vendors for the first event, with room to grow. Every vendor goes through an application process, and Bergeron vets each one to make sure the market stays unique. Past markets have drawn artists and makers from Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, New Orleans, Ascension Parish and Opelousas.

"We make sure that everybody is unique to the market," she said. "I want people to come out and say, wow, I can't find this in the mall. I can't find this in boutiques. It's handmade, it's curated, it's loved."

Booths start at $45 without electricity. Vendors can apply at fullmoonmarketla.com.

Friday's event will also feature live music from Melissa Sings and food trucks.

More than a market

Bergeron grew up in Church Point in Acadiana before moving to Plaquemine. Her husband teaches at Brusly High School and her kids attend Brusly schools. She said she has spent the last five years feeling like she lives between two communities.

"I've seen the love of Plaquemine. I've seen the love of the West Side," she said. "The support Brusly gives is unmatched. They take a lot of pride in their people, their businesses, and their community."

When asked what got her into this line of work, Bergeron had a one-word answer: "Alignment."

"I didn't plan on any of this," she said. "Full Moon Market has opened up an avenue that I never expected."

That avenue has grown beyond the monthly market. This spring, Bergeron's company, FMM Events, sold 1,700 tickets for BookTok Bash on the Bayou, a curated literary event held at the community center in Plaquemine. She is currently selling tickets for Spellbound on the Bayou and planning Bookworms on the Bayou, a two-day children's and young adult book fair set for April.

But the monthly Full Moon Market remains the core of what she does. The name is not just a brand. The events follow the full moon each month.

"People have been gathering under the full moon for thousands of years," Bergeron said. "At the core of the Full Moon Market is that celebration of community under the full moon."

She said the mission is not just about sales. It is about giving small business owners and hobbyists a place to learn, grow and connect with their neighbors.

"The best part is having my artists come to me at the end of the night and say, 'Oh my God, I made four hundred dollars tonight,'" Bergeron said. "'Oh my gosh, we are so supported. Oh my gosh, I love this community.' That's the best part."

West Side vision

Bergeron sees the market as part of something larger across the west side of the river. She said there is no disconnect between the communities on this side of the Mississippi.

"If they do well, we do well. If we do well, they do well," she said. "That also has to do with Donaldsonville and White Castle. As everybody grows, all small businesses and artists grow."

Asked whether the expansion was always the plan, Bergeron laughed.

"No," she said. "The plan was to be here."

The first Brusly Full Moon Market is Friday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. at St. James Park, 1000 E. Main St., Brusly. Admission is free. For vendor information, visit fullmoonmarketla.com.