The Girls’ Holiday Marketplace at Girls Preparatory School, Saturday, Dec. 7, from noon-4 p.m., offers girls ages seven-17 from across the Chattanooga area the opportunity to sell their products to the public with no booth fee. All the vendors have to do is come up with an idea, make their products, set up their merchandise and sell their goods.
"If you find gift-giving to be challenging this holiday season, why not shop Chattanooga’s only girl-powered marketplace, featuring 60 booths filled with unique merchandise and services?" officials said.
The professional booth setup, advertising, pre-event workshops and more are provided by GPS and sponsors.
This year’s Lead By Example Sponsor is SunTrust Bank, Gold Sponsors are EPB Fiber Optics and The Trust Company of Tennessee and the Silver Sponsor is The Bright School. In-kind donations have been provided by Chattanooga Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, Panera Bread, Coca-Cola Bottling, The Pottery Place, I Go Tokyo, First Watch and CycleBar.
“The Girls’ Holiday Marketplace is one of the most unique opportunities for girls to flex their entrepreneurial muscles—from creatively thinking about a product or service to branding, marketing, pricing and customer sales and service,” says Lauren Hayes, GPS director of alumnae and community engagement, who coordinates the event. “If you are looking for a great family experience and unique way to shop and support local businesses, then buy from a girlpreneur at the Holiday Marketplace.”
Making Spirits Bright, Poetry for You, The Jeweled Dragon, Art for Paws and Colors of the Wind are just a handful of businesses making a special appearance in the main gym at GPS. Chick-N-Nooga will also be set up to sell snacks and lunch, plus High Grounds Coffee will be on site selling hot beverages, including hot cocoa. As an added incentive to arrive early, High Grounds Coffee is giving free cups of coffee to the first 100 shoppers. While at the event, shoppers can also register to win gift cards from local merchants and certificates toward GPS camps and clinics, let their little ones decorate free cookies and vote for their favorite student-crafted gingerbread houses.
Returning for a fourth time is Cute as a Button, a business founded and run by four friends, now sophomores at GPS: Abby Pettus, Emma Hamilton, Lily Petree, and Mary Claire Nimon. They started out making and selling lip balms and holders that attach to backpacks and handbags. “Each year we’ve added a new product,” Ms. Pettus says, “bookmarks, crocheted ear-warmers, and headbands.” This year’s new product has not yet been revealed.
What has Ms. Pettus and her co-owners gained from the experience? “We've learned how to better interact with adults and think on the spot, to analyze markets and think about what might be popular next,” she says. “We’ve also learned money management and the trial-and-error of figuring out our expenses and then how to price our products so that people would still buy them while we make money and have it be worth our time.”
Being consumers of their own products has helped them hone recipes, choose fabrics and pitch to customers. Ms. Pettus’ advice to other young entrepreneurs: “Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and tell people why your product is great.”
In addition to the Girls’ Holiday Marketplace, Cute as a Button’s owners have also set up and sold at Ketner’s Mill Fair and other markets that come with booth fees that cut into their profit margins. “The Holiday Marketplace is a great way to get started because there is no upfront fee,” Ms. Pettus says. “I never would have thought I’d do this, but it’s been such a great experience and I still love it.”
If the numbers speak for themselves, Cute as a Button is not the only business finding success at the Girls’ Holiday Marketplace; 30 businesses are returning from last year. Products being sold include ornaments, wreaths and holiday decor; original art, jewelry, dog accessories and treats, beauty products, handmade candles and soaps, original family games and more.
The event on Saturday, Dec. 7, from noon-4 p.m., at the Girls’ Holiday Marketplace at GPS, 205 Island Ave. in Chattanooga. Admission is free.
The Girls’ Holiday Marketplace falls under the MBD: Girl Edition entrepreneurial ventures powered by GPS, which includes the spring 24Hour Generator presented in partnership with CoLab.