Starting your own business can be expensive. Aside from the cost of making your product, there's rent and building maintenance to consider. It's a financial risk that few people enter into. Main and Drake - Kalamazoo Makers Market allows artists to sell their work without a lot of the risks.
Melissa Al-Azzawi created the space. Her inspiration for Main and Drake came from her own brand, which sells locally made goods, often with a Michigan or Kalamazoo theme.
“So, about four years ago I started Handmade Kalamazoo, was looking at little pop-up shops downtown Kalamazoo, where we worked with local artists and makers to sell their stuff during the Holiday season. I started Main and Drake because I noticed that a lot of folks that we were selling their wares wanted to have their own space,” says Al-Azzawi.
The application process starts online at the shop’s website. It looks for local, unique vendors that don’t overlap with the products already on sale.
“We’re looking for high quality, high quality craftsmanship, nice brand, or people that are looking to build their brand,” says Al-Azzawi.
Rent for vendors is $500 a month, which includes utilities, internet, marketing and promotion. Short term weekend rentals are also available for $160.
“Some folks are in here for weekends, some folks are in here just for events, one day. Several of us, six, seven shops right now are for the whole six months," says Al-Azzawi.
According to Al-Azzawi, it’s less risky than opening a business.
“Many of us who want to have a store, haven’t been able to because of how the prices are. We have, you know, one of the biggest intersections right out the door, we have ton of parking, beautiful space. So it’s affordable,” she says.
Karen Matson of Matson Art and Design is a retired art teacher. She offers many products ranging from handmade jewelry to glass cases. Matson says makers can use a place like this to experiment and grow:
“You know there’s so many artists out there that are just too afraid, you know to open up a shop, they’re not going to open up a shop. And selling online is really, really tough. There’s a gazillion, as you know, tons and tons of competition. So this is such a great little incubator for someone to try even just for a night or for a weekend to say, hmmm, is this going to work? Is my stuff any good? And just give them that, plus we all kind of mentor each other. And the cool thing for people like myself, who have been in business for a long time, I get to try out new products and see what’s working and what sticks.”
Al-Azzawi was born and raised in Kalamazoo, and wants to use her love for the city to promote it. For her, Main and Drake is about giving back to the community:
“It rallies people around what’s being made locally, that there are a lot of great quality products made in this town. And it’s a place to be able to feel like you’re a part of something, so giving back to your community. Because of the 13 shops that are here, 10 of them are women owned. And to be able to support that, your money stays in the community when you buy in the community, so that’s one of the biggest things.”
For Dan Juzwiak, owner of Kara Daniel Jewelry, the store has opened up a lot of doors for patrons and artists.
“It gives a central location where patrons can come in and see things from so many different areas, of our, in our community,” he says.
People are also able to sell their products during special events at Main and Drake. At the November Art Hop, it had live music, tintype photography, and food vendors. Al-Azzawi says events like these attract people. It makes the store a destination.
“So in order to get people here we want there to be a reason to. So we’ve always got something going on. We’re only open on Fridays and Saturdays so it’s easy for us to have a party every weekend,”she says.
Al-Azzawi hopes the store front will keep going in the future.
“I think that it’s exciting, I think that people want to support their neighbors and their friends that are making cool things,” she says.