Support small businesses and members of the community by shopping the small business pop-up event taking place from 2 to 5 p.m. this Sunday, June 13. The event will take place on the lawn of Eagle’s Nest Academy and will feature an array of vendors from north Flint and beyond.
Community members are asked to enjoy an afternoon of shopping with vendors selling a variety of items, including but not limited to sunglasses, health & beauty care items, self-care products, household goods and women’s accessories. There is no cost to attend the event which will take place at 5101 Cloverlawn Dr., Flint, 48504.
In addition, the In/ Out Taco Stand food truck will have items available for purchase on site. Their menu includes tacos, hot dogs, polish sausages and much more.
The events kick off on Sunday, June 13 and will be held throughout the summer. All pop-ups are from 2-5 p.m. Future dates include Sunday, June 27; Sunday, July 18; Sunday, July 25; Sunday, August 15; Sunday, August 22 and Saturday, September 11.
The pop-up is an extension of the [IN] on the Road Business Bootcamp for Young Adults which launched its second cohort in April 2021. Business-minded youth and future entrepreneurs in north Flint have been honing their business skills through the program offered in conjunction with the Office of Research and Economic Development at the University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) to bring a no-cost business bootcamp to young people. The program includes monthly workshops and a lecture series designed to help youth learn how to start their own business and to understand about business cooperative models.
“We are excited to expand on our pop-up events this year,” said Arlene Wilborn, NFFM General Manager.
“We started small last year hosting one at the end of the summer,” Wilborn added. “It was so successful we decided to build off the idea by hosting pop-ups every month this summer.”
The program is funded in part by the Illuminating Community Change (IC2), which is a Community-Based Crime Reduction Grant by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Work has already begun on the future site of the North Flint Food Market (NFFM), which will be located at 5402 Clio Rd., in Flint. The NFFM will differ from a traditional grocery story because it is owned by its members. Residents, organizations and businesses have purchased memberships as investment into the store’s development. The market will be the first food co-op in Genesee County. Work has already started at the site and full construction is slated to be finished in the first quarter of 2022. Memberships are still available for purchase at a one-time cost of $250 for individuals and $500 for businesses and organizations.
Anyone interested in being a vendor can contact Arlene Wilborn at 810-620-1974, or by email, at wilborna@aol.com. There is no cost for vendors to participate. Additional information on the events can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NFFMKT/.
