As we all know, 2020 has been a tough year for everyone, and especially for small businesses and local makers. When the world went on pause because of the covid pandemic in March, many small shops and restaurants had to shut completely and many local makers lost their main source of income, as festivals and other events were put on indefinite hold.
But even during a pandemic, businesses persevered, and they pivoted and they waited, and now they are ready to celebrate – safely – during Small Business Saturday’s Shop Small Holiday Market, a collaboration between the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce, SIK Promotions and LocalShops1.
The event features about 100 local makers and small businesses, and takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m .Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, along Beach Boulevard South from 28th Avenue to Shore Boulevard in downtown Gulfport. In addition to all the vendors, consumers can enjoy the more than 40 shops and restaurants in downtown Gulfport. Maps of the downtown businesses will be available at the Gulfport Welcome Center (3101 Beach Blvd S.)
Admission is free and open to everyone, including well-behaved pets on leashes. The market is co-sponsored by the City of Gulfport.
“We’re thrilled beyond belief to have the Small Business Holiday Marketplace in Gulfport on Small Business Saturday,” said Barbara Banno, president of the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does this give people a chance to re-discover and visit Gulfport, it offers people a way to support our family owned businesses and Gulf Coast makers and artists. Because we’re committed to GulfportSTRONG protocols, people can shop the marketplace and feel comfortable.
SIK Promotions will handle all the day-of logistics, taking extra precautions to follow CDC recommendations for safe events: the vendors will be lined up, socially distance-style, along Beach Boulevard South and required to wear masks. Event guests are encouraged to wear masks as well, and Chamber volunteers will be making the rounds and distributing free masks, courtesy of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater and the City of Gulfport.
“With the holidays right around the corner, the Shop Small Holiday Market is the ideal occasion for shoppers to support local businesses and makers for their gift giving needs,” said Suzanne King, president of SIK Promotions. “Shop small and don’t get mauled at the mall!”
Parking is free, with no time limits. Beach Boulevard is closed for the event, but there is plenty of parking along Shore Boulevard, the Gulfport Recreation center, public library and Catherine Hickman Theater (Beach between 26th and 28th Avenues South). Parking on side streets is also available; please check signage for rules. The city’s trolley will also running to and from off-site parking areas, with limited seating for safety. There is no cost to ride the trolley.
“Local businesses need us more than ever, so I’m thankful that we all can work together to give local makers and small businesses an opportunity to have a successful – and SAFE – holiday event,” said Ester Venouziou, founder of LocalShops1.
LocalShops1 typically hosts Shopapalooza Festival, a massive weekend festival at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg, but the scope of the event (one of the largest “buy local” holiday shopping festivals in the country) and all its interactive components were not a good fit for a pandemic year.
“This year’s Shop Small Holiday Market won’t have bands and dancers and climbing walls and all the ‘bells and whistles’ that we all love about ‘Palooza (because that all just doesn’t seem smart to do during a pandemic), but it will have what matters most: local makers and small businesses who pour their hearts into their businesses and into our local communities,” Venouziou said.
Shopapalooza Festival returns to St. Petersburg Nov 27-28, 2021.