SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new event series in downtown Saratoga Springs seeks to promote women’s entrepreneurship by showcasing female makers, creators and business owners based in the Capital Region.
The Saratoga Night Market is a two-day event that takes place on scheduled weekends throughout the year with the goal of providing a safe space for small businesses to network and grow in the community. The free market, which launched earlier this spring, is located at the Palette co-working space at 480 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Shoppers can visit the market on various Friday and Saturday nights in the lower level of the Collamer Building next to City Hall and browse a rotating array of local vendors, from inventors and jewelry makers to bakers and artists. The event is the brainchild of local chef and entrepreneur Sahm Reyes, founder of Caffeine-Queens that sells eco-friendly mugs and specialty coffee blends.
“I am excited to be able to offer the Saratoga community and the greater Capital Region area access to these fantastic female entrepreneurs,” Reyes said in a statement. “Many of the local creators and makers at the Night Market are in start-up mode. As a recently launched full-time entrepreneur myself, I know how hard it is to find local space to sell my products. I wanted to find somewhere around here that is affordable and safe.”
Reyes says she intends on operating the event year-round.
The night market has garnered the attention of local vendors since hosting a soft launch in March, with vendor spots quickly selling out for the months of May and June. Vendor tables begin at $45 and can be reserved on the Caffeine-Queens website.
But while interest from sellers is high, Kirsten Voege, communications consultant for the event, said their focus is on promoting it to residents and visitors to help support the local business community. “It’s a chance to try things you might not necessarily have access to otherwise because these people don’t have stores yet,” Voege said.
For example, Voege added, one of the participating vendors is Sara’s Kitchen, a popular Middle Eastern food caterer that regularly attracts a lengthy line of hungry customers at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market. But to avoid long wait times, the owner is accepting pre-orders and allowing customers to pick up their food at the night market during the weekends she participates.
Voege added that many of the sellers currently operate their businesses as a side hustle. “This event allows small business owners a place to sell their wares without a lot of overhead to see how they do,” she explained. “Maybe they’ll do great or maybe they’ll need to change a recipe or something like that.”
As part of the event series, Caffeine-Queens has also launched a business accelerator program to help boost sales and marketing initiatives for participating businesses.
The next Saratoga Night Market is scheduled for May 19 and 20. Other dates include May 26 and 27; June 2 and 3, and June 9 and 10. The event takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.
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