By Catherine Daleo
Reading time: 4-5 minutes
Due to the pandemic, Market in the Alley – a local monthly pop-up market – has had to alter how the market is conducted to adapt to the situation and continue to support the Las Vegas community.
Managed by Fergusons in Downtown Las Vegas, Market in the Alley provides a platform for local small businesses, artists, craftspeople, and food vendors to set up shop for the community to come out to support the “shop local” mindset. The Market also has a strong emphasis on community engagement and environmental sustainability.
Immediately following Governor Sisolak’s shutdown in March, the festival began operating virtually. Ashley Ayala, curator for Market in the Alley, spoke to us about how they responded to the shutdown and transitioned to a virtual event.
“Our whole mission is to bring people together to learn, discover in an inspiring gathering space so we have had to shift our concept completely over the past few months to focus on moving the gathering aspect online,” Ayala said. “In March, we pretty much shut down overnight so we very quickly put together a Virtual Market in the Alley where customers could “visit” and participate online with live musicians, makers, and shop from some of the local vendors who would have been at that month’s Market.”
Since this transition, Market in the Alley has managed to stick to their regular schedule, while hosting the Market on their website and through their social media platforms, with a strong focus through their Instagram in particular.
“We have kept the dates and hours and the same and have been learning how best to alter other details as each one passes,” Ayala mentioned. “Last month we left the site live from opening until midnight; and this month, we will be leaving it live for 24 hours.”
Ayala went on to say, “We have really been learning how to make the experience better for both vendors and customers each month and we think leaving it live for longer will allow more people to support – especially as a lot of people are going back to work schedules that might not leave them free during our typical Market hours.”
In addition to the success of the virtual market, Fergusons other monthly event, ‘Pour in the Alley’ has been especially well-received by the community.
“Pour in the Alley focuses on education around spirits, beer and other non-alcoholic beverages so by moving this online, it was a smooth transition and people have been having fun tasting some of these beverages, learning from the experts and how they are made and how best to enjoy them, and not having to Uber home afterward!”, Ayala shared.
For the upcoming event this month and future events, Ayala and her team are working to continue finding new ways to conduct the event and make it more accessible.
“June’s Virtual Market will feature a lot of first-time vendors so we’re excited to showcase some new brands, as well as launch the new 24 hour Market hours!” Ayala stated. “We are also working behind-the-scenes to launch (and grow) Marketinthealley.com – where we will have vendor profiles and our MITA merch available all the time.”
Regarding how Market in the Alley and Fergusons has been managing financially, Ayala shared that the virtual market does not generate profit, and that they don’t expect it to in the future.
“When everything closed at Fergusons, our team took some major hour cuts and even with those in place, the amount of hours it takes our team to organize the event doesn’t even come close to being paid by the revenue that comes in from the Market,” Ayala said.
Instead of charging a flat fee for vendors to use the virtual platform, Fergusons instead arranges with creators to split a percentage of sales in exchange for the spot. In their first virtual market, Fergusons only generated about $500.
“We have been deep in the red each month, but we know this event is a huge community staple and many of our vendors rely on their Market in the Alley sales each month,” Ayala shared. “Our founder, Jen, is adamant about keeping this event going, even if we are losing lots of money because we know at some point, we will be able to bring this event back in person.”
Ayala went on to say that, “The brand and the vibe have been a big part of our city’s new wave of creative culture, especially in the last year and a half when the growth of the Market exploded. Right now we are focusing on long-term brand equity which is why we will continue the Market virtually as long as we need to.”
Regarding how people can support Fergusons and Market in the Alley, as well as local creators, Ayala mentioned a couple ways to help out.
On the Fergusons website, people can sign up for a monthly “membership” donation to the organization. “This is for those who can, and want, to invest money back into our local creative economy in a simple & easy way,” reads a statement on the page where people can sign up, with a breakdown of the funds stating that “30% [is] reinvested back in our community and 70% goes back to Fergusons Downtown”.
To become a member and help keep the Market going, please visit https://www.fergusonsdowntown.com/membership
People can also support Fergusons and the Market by sharing their flyer for the events, joining the livestreams done through the Market Instagram during the event, and by shopping the event’s vendors.
“I think a lot of the magic of Market in the Alley comes from what people learn about it from word-of-mouth in the community and that it really did start out as a grassroots effort to support local creatives,” Ayala said. “Even if someone isn’t able to shop from the vendors at this time, keeping them in mind for future gifts or even just engaging with them online means a lot right now!”
The music that is programmed by Fergusons Downtown and Market in the Alley is also accompanied by Venmo information for the artists if people would like to donate to them as well.
On the topic of the Market’s future outlook, Ayala said, “I wish we could go back to the live event soon but we don’t feel comfortable doing so until social distancing guidelines have changed and we see a big drop (or a cure) for COVID.”
“We plan to continue the Virtual Market in the Alley for the rest of the year though, and once it feels safe to host the live event, we will be ready!” Ayala shared. “We really miss putting on the event in-person, seeing the vendors each month, seeing our Market “regulars”, and how the newcomers always feel so taken by it. Plus, all that good vegan food!”
“Thinking about it gives me such a strange nostalgia,” Ayala added. “So much has happened in the last four months.”
For creators who would like to become a vendor at a future Market, Fergusons is always accepting new vendors.
“Our application is still on the Fergusons Downtown website, along with our brand guidelines – we’ve adjusted them to reflect what we’re looking for [with the] Virtual Market!” Ayala said.
Those interested in vending at the event must read and agree to the brand guidelines, found here: https://www.fergusonsdowntown.com/virtual-brand-guidelines
The next Market in the Alley is scheduled for June 21st. The shopping aspect of the event will be live for 24 hours, from 12:01 am to midnight, while maker takeovers and interviews will be from 12-6 pm.
Please follow the Market in the Alley and Fergusons Instagram pages for the latest updates.
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