Guide: Wildflowers Armory cultivates creativity with artisanal goods
Guide: Wildflowers Armory
From handmade jewelry and art to one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, the multi-vendor marketplace gives customers reasons to come back for more.
Walk through the doors of the McCarthy Mercantile building in downtown Syracuse, turn to your right or left, and you’ll find something uncommon these days: a haven for local creatives to express themselves with art, all made by human hands.
For Syracuse University junior Angie (AJ) Jaramillo, finding this spot was pure luck. Jamarillo and friends stumbled upon the spot while exploring downtown Syracuse during their freshman year.
“The sign looked cute, so we went inside,” Jaramillo said. “It felt like we entered a local band mall.”
Located on South Salina Street, the building sits on the corner of a busy intersection. The multi-story building’s arched windows and maroon and green accents are hard to miss. Those perusing the downtown scene can see all that the store offers just by passing by.
That enticing look of the building’s interior design mixed with the selling of artisanal goods is exactly what co-founder Michael John Heagerty had envisioned for Wildflowers Armory.
What If We Opened a Shop?
The concept of Wildflowers Armory didn’t start with a structured business plan — from the beginning, Heagerty just wanted to cultivate community.
“Ten years ago, we started a pop-up shop and it was meant to be a holiday-only experience, kind of like a precursor to Wildflowers,” Heagerty said. “I had the nutso idea of doing it myself and we went popping up downtown.”
In 2019, Heagerty and his business partner officially brought their vision to life in a bigger setting. Before their current location, the business owners were focused on building community through local pop-ups in the community. Later that same year, they moved into their current space, the McCarthy Mercantile building, where Wildflowers Armory now covers a large portion of the upstairs floor.
“Just being a connector of folks is kind of how I was able to create the idea of Wildflowers,” Heagerty said.
And just like that, Wildflowers Armory, Inc. was born. With a quick transition, Heagerty shared the acquisition of the new space with his co-founder at the time.
“The joke is, what if I made a shop … fifteen minutes later I had the keys,” Heagerty said.
Breaking business norms
Wildflowers Armory runs on its own rules. Every three months, new vendors can apply to set up shop in the building space. But just like the crafts, they are thoughtfully selected.
“We are not a co-op and not a collective or a guild. We have our own hybrid structure,” Heagerty explains.
Over 10 different vendors are currently selling in the space.
“We put an open public callout on social media and then vendors who meet the requirements are vetted by a board of vendors who own the shops,” Heagerty said.
Along with being from the central New York area, vendor candidates create completely handmade items, free of artificial intelligence.
The requirements are tried and true: each item must be handmade. In a time where AI-generated artwork is extremely popular, Wildflowers protects authenticity.
Even the logo of Wildflowers was hand-painted by Kaitano Valenzuela, founder of Black Rabbit Studio.
After being accepted, vendors come in a few times a month, and 80% of all sales go directly back to their own pockets — unlike many other businesses in the area.
“The money goes right in the hands of the artisans,” Heagerty said.
For Heagerty, Wildflowers Armory is all about creating trust and comfort amongst customers and vendors.
“The odds of you going face-to-face with someone who made the jewelry you bought is high,” Heagerty said. “That’s truly what makes the work these vendors make, so special.”
More to find downstairs
Traveling downstairs to McCarthy Mercantile, customers can find more diverse offerings from handmade jewelry to true vintage.
McCarthy Mercantile is located at the bottom of Wildflowers Armory, hosting a variety of other shops. The center of the large room on the ground floor is surrounded by vendors like Salt City Wearhouse, From Smoke, Syracuse Barber Lounge, SweetsforBabe and Accents at The Mercantile.
Each vendor has different hours of service, but they all open weekly.
No matter what you’re craving, Sweets for Babe has it. From a variety of puddings (Dulce de Leche is a personal favorite) and unique trinkets like mini harmonicas and clock rings to rare vintage t-shirts,
Besides satisfying a sweet tooth, these spaces aim to build community and create conversation.
“We go out and make opportunity for vendors at different levels,” Heagerty said.
Wildflowers hosts summer events frequently in space to gain more store traffic and highlight different businesses. Heagerty said that not only does it help his vendors get their name out there, but it also aids in furthering the hand-crafted mission.
“They once highlighted an 8-year-old girl that made a horror twist on teddy bears, and I think it’s really cool that they give recognition to small owners while sharing their spaces,” Jaramillo said.
Hi, neighbor
Wildflowers Armory isn’t the only business on the top floor of the building. H. Grey Coffee Supply, co-owners Alex Altomonte and his partner, Travis Barr, recently brought their espresso bar into the mix.
Upon entering, customers are greeted with the fresh aroma of roasted coffee beans and smiling baristas. The shop has a few tables spread out across the room filled with notebooks, stickers, candles and some children’s books.
Alex and Travis opened their first H. Grey location in Cazenovia during the 2020 pandemic on a leap of faith.
“Three different strangers asked us if we’d ever want to open,” Altomonte said.
Before they knew it, they outgrew their small town and settled in Syracuse.
As a Cuban-American, Altomonte enjoys living in a larger and more diverse area.
“I love this city because it’s so much more diverse, it reminds me of New York City,” Altomonte said.
The diverse flavors and cultures of New York City influence the creative nature of H Grey’s menu items. Their classic menu features all types of coffees (warm and cold options), plant-based Lotus energy drinks, “Unicorn sodas”, over 13 flavor shots and homemade drink syrups.
Each drink item is curated from an imaginative mind, with names like the Royal Treatment Tea, Cup of Love, an Italian soda called the Unicorn Soda and hot chocolate flavors like Pistachio and Caramel. All coffees and drinks are fairly priced at about $6-9.
H. Grey’s seasonal drink menus have become quite the sensation. This spring’s “Let Them Eat Cake” menu features a carrot cake latte: ginger, fresh-squeezed carrot juice, cinnamon, cream cheese cold foam, and a wedding cake latte with homemade buttercream syrup and lemon-raspberry cold foam. They also offer the Enchanted Black Forest Cake Mocha and a Pineapple Up-Chai Down Cake drink.
H Grey does not shy away from keeping things fun and light, especially when it comes to their beverages. Not only does the space cater to sweet tooths and caffeine enthusiasts, it also invites customers who want to try on clothing and buy artisanal snacks. “
“We actually import cheeses overnight from Murray’s Cheese, it’s a shop in New York City that has imports from around the world,” Altomonte said.
Dedication to their craft and building community is what makes Altomonte’s business and others at Wildflowers Armory thrive. No matter what one is looking to taste, buy or discover, this is the place for it all.