If you’re looking for an antidote to the chaotic, corporate spending madness of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday is happening this weekend in Bushwick—and one of the area’s many great markets will take place at cozy neighborhood bar June.
Larissa Humphrey aka Lariscious paired up with June Bar on St. Nicholas Avenue to host a pop-up shop at 1p.m. on Saturday, November 26, to benefit local businesses in the neighborhood, promoting conscious consumerism in an age where this notion seems obsolete.
After working in retail for 15 years Lariscious, now a personal trainer and writer, was dissatisfied with her industry. “I grew fed up with my emotional labor and intellectual property being exploited,” she said. She had watched her freelance friends struggle to get their product out in the market, and wanted to provide a potential hand up.
Since her departure from retail, Lariscious has been coordinating events to benefit entrepreneurs and craft workers outside of the mainstream corporate conglomerates that take over during the holidays.
June Bar was thrilled to host this event, bringing together people for local art, food, drink, and shopping. “As a small business ourselves, we want to be as supportive as possible to the other small businesses around us, and especially in the arts or creative pursuits. There are a lot of talented, creative and smart people around us in Bushwick,” says a June spokesperson.
Vendors at Saturday’s event include photographer Gretchen Robinette, fashion brand V33leather, and Haus of Umpteen corpses, drag collective and local fashion house. All proceeds go directly to merchants.
As the holidays approach, it is comforting that people of color, queers, and women have platforms in their neighborhood to sell their wares, where shoppers can avoid an anxiety attack at Macy’s the day after Thanksgiving.
Stop by, Bushwick!