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NATCHEZ — Miss-Lou artists and craftsmen took advantage of the increased number of shoppers in Natchez on Saturday to hold their Fall Edition of the Makers Market.

Shoppers from near and far flocked to Natchez on Friday and Saturday for Junkin on the River, held every April and October in Natchez.

The weather could not have cooperated any better except the afternoon got a bit hot, said Windy Guillot of Alexandria, Louisiana. Guillot and her granddaughter, Caroline Schexnyder, were in Natchez selling soap, which Guillot began making three years ago. You can connect with Guillot and buy her soaps, beard oils and shampoo on her Facebook page, Bayou Bath Bars & Essentials.

Peter Sherman of Natchez was at Makers Market selling his handmade wooden bowls.

“All these began as a log,” Sherman said. He had bowls of all sizes, including bread bowls, on display.

Sherman’s bowls are handmade, a skill he learned from Dr. Dunbar McCurley of Woodville.

Sherman uses only an adze, which he uses to “chop” the log into its bowl shape. Then, he sands it until he’s happy with the finished product.

“I have people calling me all the time telling me where a tree has come down or that they have a log they think would make a good bowl,” he said. Sherman said his favorite woods to work with are Willow and Hackberry.

“I use a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil on the bowl, and after that, you can put a salad in it or use it however you want,” Sherman said.

He has been making bowls for the last eight years and said it is a great way to relieve stress.

Dessie Stewart began making her handcrafted wood signs in March after retiring from Playschool Child Care, a business owned by her sister, where she worked for 25 years.

“I started because I wanted to make one for myself,” Stewart said. “It just blossomed from there.”