Small Business Saturday market comes back to Tempe

The city of Tempe brought back its annual small business event, and the Merchantile was excited to host all the visiting markets.

Small Business Saturday happens once a year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Small businesses from across the state come to the event to showcase their products, in hopes of reaching a wider audience. The event is hosted nationwide as it falls the day after Black Friday, one of the busiest days leading up to the holiday season.

Tempe’s website advocates for shopping local, saying it “keeps stores open and your neighbors working,” as well as advertising small businesses that originated in the city, such as Mission Foods and Laura’s Gourmet Granola.

According to Local First Arizona, for every $100 spent at a local business, $43 remains in the economy, as opposed to $13 for every $100 spent in retail business.

This year, the event took place at the Merchantile Market at Tempe Big Surf Waterpark, and owners Kimberly and Eugene Pak were thrilled to organize the event.

“We’re so excited! There’s going to be so many new vendors whom I’ve never met before, who I bet all have amazing products,” said Kimberly Pak.

The Merchantile, originally located in Old Town Scottsdale, is a multi-purpose marketplace that allows other small businesses to sell their products in a place buzzing with entertainment.

The idea of a market for other small businesses came when Pak wanted a place to sell her handbags, but later became a mission to create a hub for small businesses.

“I wanted the Merchantile market to be a place where small businesses can come together and collaborate to create a new shopping experience,” she said.

Veronica Carli, who was just visiting Old Town Scottsdale stumbled upon the Merchantile store, but quickly fell in love with the idea of the store.

“It’s a great concept where everybody can individually have a store without having to completely commit to one style or have to pay rent for a retail space,” she said. “Coming from someone who used to work in retail, this really caught my attention.”

The Merchantile also participates in philanthropy, most recently with Arf Anage Dog Rescue, a non-profit organization with a goal to find dogs a “fur-ever” home. Pak also mentioned that they’re looking to team up with more non-profits in the future.

Now that the Merchantile made an appearance at the waterpark to set up a temporary marketplace, the first event will be Small Business Saturday. The market will meet on select Saturdays, until April 2022.

The event took about six months to plan. Pak plans to make the market permanent in the future, but said that the extreme summer weather makes it difficult to bring people in.

“If we find an indoor location, we would definitely continue it through the summer,” she said.