LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Local LEX Market sells products from over 70 small businesses. Merritt Monroy, along with her husband Benjamin, are the owners.
There are a variety of handcrafted items that are sold at the market.
Merritt has been designing shirts for eight years. She and her husband have their own business, El Gato Azul.
The husband-and-wife duo wanted to help other makers during the pandemic after seeing the toll it took on small businesses.
“We decided to open one in Lexington to provide a space for others that couldn’t afford to open their own business,” said Merritt.
On top of the work Merritt does for the market, she is also raising a child and enduring her own hardships. She has stage three colon cancer and has started chemotherapy.
“I never thought at 43 I would ever have colon cancer, especially with no family history of colon cancer so I definitely say, you know, go get your colonoscopy, please,” said Merritt.
On March 23, there will be a celebration at the Local LEX Market for its third anniversary.
It is also Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and the Kentucky Cancer Program has a colon cancer screening program. Those who qualify can get a free colon cancer screening. To see if you qualify, call 877-597-4655.