Virtual Holiday Market Launches on Small Business Saturday Featuring BIPOC and Women-Owned PNW Businesses

November 23, 2021

The online market provides holiday shoppers an opportunity to shop gifts made with Pacific Northwest supplies and boost the local economy. 

PORTLAND, OR - Mercy Corps Northwest will host the 8th annual Northwest Made Holiday Market online from November 26th to December 30th. The market includes more than 100 businesses owned by historically marginalized entrepreneurs (members of the LBGTQIA+ community, women and Black, Indengious and people of color) from across Oregon and southern Washington, selling products ranging from food and drinks, to house plants, art and jewelry. People everywhere can shop at the market at shopnorthwestmade.org.

Small businesses continue to face an uncertain future as a result of the pandemic and nearly 70% of small business owners report that holiday shopping is crucial to their annual profit. Northwest Made is a powerful venue for many entrepreneurs, uniting a local network of small businesses to collectively boost holiday sales. The 2020 market brought nearly $30,000 to the more than 60 participating vendors, and this year’s market aims to outpace sales from last year.

“This year especially, holiday shopping is a major income opportunity for small businesses in Oregon, Washington, and nationwide,” says Lynn Renken, Executive Director of Mercy Corps Northwest. “It is more important than ever that we shop small to support local entrepreneurs and help keep their shops open and keep money in our local economy.” 

 Over 100 companies will participate in the market, including:

  • Mamancy Tea & Chocolates, a Black and women-owned company based in Beaverton, Oregon. The owner, Anne Johnson, was born and raised in Kenya where she learned about tea horticulture and has turned her passion into a successful small business selling artisan loose leaf tea and chocolate truffles.
  • Daphne's Botanicals, an Asian and women-owned business based in Portland, Oregon. Daphne Peters and her partner built a houseplant design service and shop that provides a unique concierge shopping experience. They also design and create their own houseplant accessories and tools.
  • Oregon Kombucha, a Latinx-owned business based in Vancouver, Washington. Summer sells kits and other necessary supplies for people of all skill levels to make kombucha at home.

Mercy Corps Northwest partnered with design students at Pacific Northwest College of Art to create the market’s branding. 

The Northwest Made Holiday Market is hosted by Mercy Corps Northwest and supported by the City of Vancouver, Clark County and the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. Since the onset of COVID-19, the Mercy Corps Northwest team has distributed over $4.6M to nearly 700 small businesses in Oregon and Washington.