It’s beginning to look a lot like… that time for continued support of Portland consumer products and small retailers
Granted, Portland shops local year round. But there’s no more important time to put your hard earned dollars into the local economy than the holiday season. Because so many products and retailers rely on holiday traffic. Luckily, Portland also makes that easier. With things like My People’s Market and Little Boxes.
My People’s Market
What if you were able to go to one spot and experience a wealth of locally created products, whether they happen to be on retail shelves yet or not? That’s the idea behind My People’s Market.
My People’s Market is a marketplace re-imagined as a gathering of Portland’s diverse and vibrant entrepreneurs, makers, artists, culinary wizards and beverage crafters.
Bring your friends and family to explore the diverse entrepreneurial talent of Portland at this free annual event. Support the community and shop at over 80 local multicultural businesses, talk with vendors, and network with local business owners of color. My People’s Market is a celebration of equity and inclusion and has a festive and inclusive atmosphere. There will be live music, art, performances, activities, and of course, plenty to eat and drink from some of Portland’s best eateries.
The event takes place, this Friday, November 9, 2018, from 5:00PM until 9:00PM at the Custom Blocks in SE Portland. It is a free event, but be ready to shop. Because you’re sure to find some awesome stuff.
For more information, visit My People’s Market.
Little Boxes
If you don’t complete all of your holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, no worries. There’s always Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and Whatever We Call That Sunday where we’re still expected to be shopping. And there’s no better way to find, explore, and frequent small Portland retailers during that weekend than Little Boxes.
Little Boxes is a holiday shopping event that takes place the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving. It encourages shoppers to explore Portland’s neighborhoods to discover and support the Little Boxes — small, specialty retailers — that make our city unique.
The rules of the game are simple: participating shoppers visit and make purchases from Little Boxes, earning raffle tickets and unlocking prizes over the course of the event’s three days.
To participate, you’ll need to download a free mobile app. And if you do that ahead of time (like today), you can make sure that all the small local retailers you already love are taking part in the festivities. There’s still time for them get on the list, as well.
As an added bonus, Little Boxes has a new feature for this year: local coffeeshops, restaurants, and bars can participate, as well. That means that refueling with a peppermint mocha from your favorite barista or a half price NOLA Doughnuts beignet earns you even more chances to win. And keeps up your energy levels for more exploring. And then you can always cap off the day with a hot toddy, if you’re so inclined.
For more information or to download the app, visit Little Boxes.
[Full disclosure: Little Boxes is part of Built Oregon, a 501(c)3 nonprofit supporting consumer products in Oregon. I am one of the cofounders of Built Oregon. My People’s Market is organized by Prosper Portland. PIE is funded in part by a Prosper Portland grant. I am the cofounder and general manager of PIE.]
Originally published at siliconflorist.com on November 6, 2018.
