Summer is coming, vaccinations are increasing, and New York City is ready to reopen on July 1st. Small local businesses are returning to activity, and open-air markets are springing up all over the city. One such market ‘Spring Up’, organized by Urbanspace, is an immersive dining and shopping experience in Bryant Park through June 20th. The market is a dynamic mix of original art, antiques, jewelry, and kitchens from more than 40 small local businesses.
“It’s been a devastating year for small businesses, and we are eager to play our part in the City’s recovery as we begin to see New York come back to life,” said Urbanspace President Eldon Scott. “Urbanspace is built on the concept of building community and meaningful interactions with people, and the Spring Up Market is just that. It’s a great way to enjoy the season with friends and family.”
UMI JEWELRY + PLANTS
Yumi Chen, Yumi Jewelry + Plants
One of the many vendors is local brand YUMI JEWELRY + PLANTS, created by Yumi Chen, who has been selling at this market for more than 12 years due to the market’s unique approach. “I think that open-air, outdoor markets especially will be a good way for small businesses to rise during this challenging time. I have seen during this “reopening period” that people want to shop and reconnect.”
Fully vaccinated, Yumi Chen is ready and looking forward to finally selling her products in person and adds that participating in a market offers a friendly way to connect with a steady stream of interested buyers. Her plan for the future is to resume a full schedule of in-person events and pop-up shops in additional cities Boston, Providence, Denver, and Tucson.
In comparison to selling online, she says that in her opinion, in-person business is consistent and predictable. Conducting business online can be impersonal, more time-consuming, and inconsistent results from posting new products.
Yumi Chen created her brand 17 years ago when recovering from a traumatic arm injury that impaired her right hand and wrist. Her hand therapist suggested that she try to make jewelry to help regain motor coordination. Shortly afterward, her hands’ mobility started to return, and she found that making jewelry was rewarding and comforting for her soul.
“After that, a friend invited me to sell my jewelry at a trunk show, and my business was born. More than 17 years later, I still design jewelry as a form of hand therapy and feel very appreciative that it is my full-time career.”
However, like most small businesses, Yumi Chen had all of her retail stores, events, and markets canceled and closed and forced her to move quickly to a fully online sales platform and use her creativity to embrace her business.
“At the start of the pandemic, I wanted to help protect the community and front line workers so, I started sewing masks full-time and donated my masks. That was a challenge for me because I had no prior experience using a sewing machine. I spent many weeks learning how to sew and worked on creating a mask style that was form-fitting and comfortable. I also sold my masks online and am forever grateful to all my loyal customers who placed online orders and helped my business survive the pandemic”, says Yumi Chen.
Ms. Chen’s advice to other businesswomen reading this article is: Be original! Go your own way and stick to your ideas. Work hard to achieve your goals, and good things will always happen! Happy creation!
From Texas to Bryant Park
Aleja Avila
Another brand participating at Spring Up came from Texas to join the Urbanspace market, Spring Up, called ALEJA AVILA, founded by the same name.
Aleja Avila is an artist born in Colombia who uses vibrant colors from her Latin heritage to make leather bags and accessories for four years. She always exhibited her pieces at art festivals, pop-up stores, galleries. When the pandemic arrived, it was very difficult, mainly because much of her business comes from massive outdoor events.
Aleja says that she decided to participate in Spring Up at Bryant Park for being a great way to get new customers and publicize her brand. “Of course, every investment has risks, but in this case, if you do not try, you will never know the results. On online platforms, you try to be as personal as possible, but only at events can you connect with your customers in a more personal way.”
Aleja focused on social media ads and building a retail website during the crisis which has allowed her to both maintain her relationships with existing customers and reach new ones while staying productive.
“At first, handbags were not selling, mainly because no one was going out. So, I started to make more casual pieces you can wear to the park. I invested time in calling customers by phone and sending them videos in order to have that person-to-person experience.”
Aleja leaves the following message to other entrepreneurs: “If you are a small business and you survive this crisis, you are focused on continuing to walk, not just as a business, but as a human being, grateful for the better days ahead.”
Open a business in the middle of the pandemic?
Yes, it is possible!
Lauren Sahagian-Mallimo decided to create her cheesecake company, “Cheesecake and the City,” at the peak of the pandemic. She has filed applications for many NYC markets and is waiting for acceptance. “Hopefully, I’ll be selling to a wider audience soon. I’m also willing to travel outside of the city if I need to.”
She started baking several years ago when she brought a cheesecake to a company potluck, and her coworkers were raving about it. “A few of them had suggested I start selling them, which put the idea in my head, but I never followed through with it. Once the pandemic hit and I worked from home, I decided to start writing recipes, posting pictures on Instagram, and just seeing what happens. Not commuting into work gave me a few extra hours a day to work with.”
However, she admits that building a market during the pandemic was a bit scary. “At the beginning of everything, my husband had his salary cut. It was difficult to justify spending on materials and ingredients. Ultimately, I kept experimenting because if I did not start when I was at home 100% of the time, I probably never would.”
According to her, the biggest challenge at the start was getting a wide range of taste testers. “No one wanted me making deliveries, even for free cake, because there was so much uncertainty about COVID. It’s so important to have others try my products. If multiple people are making the same suggestions, I’ll rework my recipe.”
Aside from having a hard time finding taste testers, she was having a hard time finding customers as well. Luckily, she had recipes solidified and ready to go for Thanksgiving 2020 when her business picked up.
But the most significant challenge of all was refrigeration. “When I first started making deliveries in bulk, it was winter, so I just wouldn’t turn the heater on in my car. As we entered the warmer months, I had to purchase some camping coolers that stayed cold for several hours. If I’m making local deliveries, I do have to get creative with ice packs.”
On the other hand, with the difficulties, she learned some tricks. “ I’ve always shopped with coupons casually, but now I go out of my way to find coupons. I also review sales at my local grocery stores to plan out bulk purchases.” And also how to do your marketing. “I have been working with a few food influencers on Instagram for marketing and customer outreach. One woman I’m working with now is assisting me with my photos and presenting my cakes on Instagram better. I’ve had pretty great customer feedback so far.”
Cheesecake and the City is a total Instagram business. Lauren takes all DM orders and is working on getting some photos taken professionally to build a website. That way, she can reach customers who may not be on Instagram.
Moreover, Lauren does not stop there. Full of plans for the future, she says after starting with street markets and pop-up locations, she plans on having a storefront, but not just a bakery, a bakery gallery. “I envision having a full art gallery where local artists can showcase and sell their work. Each month, I would want to change the exhibit theme, change the artwork displayed, and change the bakery menu to fit into the theme. I think having food mixed with art can help my brand appeal to a wider audience.”
Lauren’s message to entrepreneurs who dream of opening their own business but are afraid because of the crisis is: “My best advice is if you want to start or expand a business, do it. I know it is a cliché answer, but it is so true. If you keep waiting for the perfect moment, you will eventually run out of time.”
