Before you head to Target or Walmart for your holiday shopping, visit Mainframe Studios’ Hand Crafted Holiday Market this Saturday for Small Business.
DES MOINES, Iowa – Before you head to Target or Walmart for your holiday shopping, local artists and business owners are asking you to invest in the Des Moines community by shopping locally.
Antonio Roddy, dubbed “Tone the Move Maker” by some, does just that: make moves. Currently, he is preparing the Hand Crafted Holiday Market in Mainframe Studios in honor of Small Business Saturday.
“Holiday Market is an opportunity for you to think about it as a product, rather than thinking about the art world, and then a more practical use,” Roddy said.
If you’re planning on shopping for holiday gifts in the Des Moines area, Roddy believes you should invest in small local businesses rather than big box retailers.
“Shopping locally helps build the culture here, which makes Main a destination and adds value to the city through tourism,” Roddy said. “It pulls the little guy through, man, that’s the hardest part.”
Siobhan Spain of Mainframe Studios said the event is dedicated to helping small businesses and local artists.
“It obviously makes a big difference for artists who start or succeed here,” Spain said.
Spanish Hope Des Moines residents plan to stop by Mainframe Studios when they’re out this holiday weekend.
“We’ll have music, food, and of course open studios where you can explore multiple mediums,” Spain said. “It’s been so much fun walking around and meeting the artists who work in their studios while also being a part of our community and making it better.”
The event starts at 1pm and ends at 5pm. The first 30 guests receive a free tote bag.
“If you’re trying to give people something special, you know that nothing you can’t find in a mall can compare to what we make in Mainframe,” Roddy said.