Here at The Scented Market, we’re all about supporting small local businesses.
It was not too long ago that we were a small business and that has given us an inside perspective on the reality of operating this type of business.
We believe they are amazing for many reasons:
- They offer one-of-a-kind pieces
- They often hand-make their pieces
- They have a smaller carbon footprint
- They can offer more personalized customer service
- They contribute to the local economy
However, they can also face their fair share of challenges, especially when in competition with big box stores:
- They may lack exposure. Some people might not know that they exist, what they offer, and/or where to find them.
- They may lack support. This could be in terms of guidance, funding, and team members.
- They may lack space. This could be in terms of manufacturing and/or store-front. Many of these businesses operate out of their own homes.
With an understanding of these challenges and knowledge of so many amazing small businesses in our community, we wanted to use our position to offer a leg up to those who may be facing challenges!
And so was born our Maker Spotlight Saturday event series! This series sees a small local business from our community set up a table in one of our retail stores on a Saturday from 10AM-4PM.
The business comes into the store with its jewelry, accessories, clothing, home decor, stationary, baked goods, etc. and has the chance to meet, interact, and do business with The Scented Market’s customers. Depending on which of our stores is hosting the business, they will advertise them on their Instagram account in order to build up excitement and bring out as many people as possible!
We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on this series, both from the businesses who say they gain more sales, new customers, and social media followers, to the customers who say they love the opportunity to discover new businesses, new products, and the chance to shop local!
We are thrilled to be able to host our Maker Spotlight Saturday events in our stores and encourage any businesses who are interested in featuring to please reach out to media@thescentedmarket.ca. We can’t wait to showcase you and your amazing products!
Local small business Kind Yogi displays its gemstone bracelets on a table during a Maker Spotlight Saturday event.
