Coming off of years of COVID restrictions and amid whispers of a recession, it is an interesting time for our local business community. I am part of our local community of makers — people with creative businesses (artists, crafters, etc.). I am a full-time business owner, but I do not have a brick-and-mortar location. I sell online, wholesale through small shops across the country, and at a number of in-person events throughout the year.
A few weeks ago was the Fig Twig Holiday Market. It was the first time they had held this event in two years and had moved it from Ferndale to Redwood Acres Fairground in Eureka. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. It was a rainy weekend, but there were more people than I had seen at a single event in years. They braved the weather to line up outside and shop from all of these local makers. Every vendor I talked to had a great weekend, made lots of sales, and it seemed like people were excited to get out and shop again.
And new makers are still excited to start their creative businesses in Humboldt County. I just wrapped up teaching a business start-up course for creative business owners through the North Coast Small Business Development Center. We brought this program back due to popular demand, and we had more applicants than ever before. We spent eight weeks learning about marketing, social media, and how to run a creative business in Humboldt. And my biggest takeaway was that as challenging as this line of business can be, people are excited to start. We have no shortage of creative people who want to share their products, artwork, and talent with you.
The state of our local maker community seems strong. We’ve pivoted, hung on, and gotten creative (it is what we do best!) over the past few years, and it has only made us more resilient. But we cannot stay strong without YOUR support.
I know we’ve all heard it before, but when you shop small, you are directly supporting someone’s dream and livelihood. I want you to picture your favorite local store, restaurant, artist, whatever. Now, I want you to imagine that next February you hear they are closing their business. If you would be sad, then you NEED to support them this holiday season. We often take our local businesses for granted and assume they will just keep chugging along, but there is no guarantee that these businesses will be here next year.
Make time to go to some local craft fairs, shop in Old Town, and buy gift certificates to your favorite restaurants. This holiday season, give the gift of your business to these small, local businesses. Shop local, shop small, and put your money right back into our community.
Jenna Catsos is a Eureka-based illustrator and owner of Pen+Pine (you may recognize her map mural on the corner of 5th + E streets). She also helps organize the annual Eureka Street Art Festival and serves as a business consultant for the North Coast Small Business Development Center.