GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The holiday shopping season is upon us, and a small business owner in downtown Grand Rapids wants to remind people to shop small.
Kayla Benda, owner of “Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts” and “Courage to Soar” invited FOX 17 to the inaugural Holiday Market on Saturday.
“Local art and local artists is just so cool. When I’m walking around, I want to buy everything because it’s just so interesting and fun and supporting…small businesses that you actually see make the products themselves, you’re gonna get something that’s one of a kind, super unique and really special,” Benda said.
The Holiday Market, based out of Benda’s stores on Monroe Center Street, included dozens of vendors showcasing their work.
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“We were very nervous. Being a small business, it gets very scary. When you, like, start something you’re like, ‘are people going to come?’ Like, ‘oh not, did we just make this huge mistake?’ but the turnout has been really good, and everyone’s been really supportive, and I’m just really thankful that the vendors took a chance on us, as well,” Benda said, adding that hundreds of people had already stopped by.
“My family is really a big believer in shopping local, support local businesses. I’m from Grand Rapids originally, so it feels like I’m giving back to the community. And I happened to be staying nearby and I know this stretch has a lot of very great, local, community-based stores,” Jasen Schrock, a shopper who is from Grand Rapids originally, said. “These are people that live in the community, they, and you want to help support the folks that live, that are your neighbors. And I think it really, kind of, adds to, sort of, the unique pieces of what makes Grand Rapids special. And I think the fact that you have artists and shop owners that live and work in the same place that you do is really important to support.”
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The inaugural Holiday Market ran from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday.
Benda hopes to have the event yearly, or even quarterly, as it continues to grow.
