Tucson Trades is returning for its second summer market, kicking off from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at the Tucson Convention Center.
The business showcase is the brainchild of Travis Freeman, who owns the dispensary Healthful Flowers, located at 5460 E. Speedway Boulevard.
“I’ve always been a local business owner, and it’s always been a bit of an issue to connect with the community without over-advertising,” Freeman said.
He tried to connect with customers at other local markets but faced environmental challenges.
“(At) some of the small market events, you can definitely reach some of the local community, but there’s always that weather element that comes into play,” Freeman said.
He went on to say that his products don’t mix well with the scorching sun.
“The heat would tear us apart,” Freeman said.
It dawned on him that small businesses needed a space to sell that was accessible to the community and wouldn’t run the risk of losing their products.
“There should be something where you can do this indoors,” he said.
For Freeman, Tucson Convention Center (TCC) was the obvious answer.
“I realized that the TCC has really good infrastructure. Everything about how they operate events was just seamless. Security, the AC, parking, all of those things just seemed to be an advantage for a large-scale event,” he said.
And thus, Tucson Trades was born. The first market was held last summer, with another following in January of this year.
“There’s nothing that really showcases the local community as a whole all at once,” Freeman said.
It’s only continued to grow.
“We are looking at a capacity for 260,” Freeman said.
That’s more than double the capacity of the first market.
While there are plenty of vendors for attendees to choose from, Freeman highlighted several of his favorites. He said Chez Peachy, a bento cake truck, sets a great example for other small businesses.
“We really like to spotlight (Christa Lebron) a bit because she she’s doing everything that you should be doing as a vendor to grow as a business,” Freeman said.
There’s Ducky’s Pineapple Banana Bread.
“He’s one of our really, really popular vendors,” Freeman said.
OnMyLevel Athletics will be selling their athletic wear.
“There’s another one of those great vendors who started off small, completely local, and now they’re on the scale and pace to do something nationwide if that opportunity to come along,” Freeman said.
Last is Tanna’s Botannas. Started by Tanna Cole in 2020, the company specializes in spicy Mexican candy and rim dips.
“Since our last event, she’s actually gone nationwide with her candy distribution,” Freeman said.
“That’s another lady that’s been doing some phenomenal stuff, to grow herself, and then also show people that you can go from bagging your own candies up at home to running a nationwide warehouse in short time,” he continued.
Tucson Trades will also be partnering with Arizona Rescue Life for a dog adoption event and the Tucson Police Department.
“Our event is going to take place at the same date, time and location as the sheriff’s backpack drive,” Freeman said. “The sheriffs have a backpack drive initiative that they do for the children and families where they try to get the new backpacks for the school year.”
“Folks can shop and attend to our side of it, but they are in need, they can go and sign up and get free backpacks for their children at the event as well,” he continued.
Finally, Freeman emphasized that there’s an alternative to paid parking around TCC.
“There is free transportation with the Sun Tran and Sun Link alike,” Freeman said. “So I’m really encouraging families and attendees to park in the free parking and take the free transportation, carpool if you can cut down on some of the carbon emissions.
At the end of the day, Tucson Trades is by the community, for the community.
“I hope that attendees take away the creativity that’s within the city and then also the entrepreneurial spirit,” Freeman said. “We are in a town that thrives on small businesses, and as long as we keep supporting people in the infancy of their businesses, brick-and-mortar structures are likely to stay around.”
Vendors interested in applying for the market may submit an application on Tucson Trade’s website. There’s a fee of $150 for a 10-by-10-foot vending space. However, acceptance is not guaranteed.
“It’s just a great opportunity to get out and meet the community, really get to spend some time with your family,” Freeman said.
Tucson Trades
WHEN: 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 29
WHERE:Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson
COST: Free
INFO: tucsontrades.com
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2024.
