MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Hanukkah is underway and Christmas is in exactly two weeks, and many people still need to get gifts for everyone on their list. A new holiday pop-up shop will make it easy to shop safely and locally.
This weekend, the Jingle & Mingle pop-up shop will bring 17 local vendors together at the 912 Social Club located in East Memphis at 912 Kelley Rd.
All vendors will be socially distanced and masked up.
“We have a lot of different things," Organizer Zandra Jones said. "Out of 17 vendors, there are 17 different types, at least 17 different types of products.”
There will be vendors selling candles, jewelry, accessories, desserts, dog gifts, blankets, and more.
This is the second pop-up shop hosted by Jones this holiday season. She said the goal was to help small businesses during a rough year.
"It gives them an opportunity to gain customers and just some sort of income," she said. "This year has been hard on a lot of people so we wanted to give a place and platform to give these businesses to get their names out there.”
Jones started her candle-making business, Vibes with Scents, in July, first as a way to bond with her daughter.
Elaina Ross, owner of Jar Moi, is also one of the 17 vendors. She specializes in oven-baked cheesecake served in a jar.
“Our job is to serve people through desserts," Ross said.
Several of the businesses that will be at the pop-up got their start during the pandemic, including Ross. She started Jar Moi in May.
“I just wanted to empower myself to build something that was for me that I could share with others that’s also impacting the community," she said.
Ross, a teacher, said the financial uncertainty of the pandemic, encouraged her to make the jump to start her dream of the last ten years. But starting a business isn't an easy feat.
“There are days that you are defeated, right?" Ross said. "There’s weeks where I have no orders, right? And then, boom. I have 50. So there are definitely times that are trying but you just have to continue to be resilient and remember why you did it.”
Jingle & Mingle runs Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The event is free and attendees will have a chance to win $100.