Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Networking events don’t always need business casual attire or a 30 second-elevator pitch.
Sometimes, it can have a DJ, dozens of local vendors—from food to clothing designers and tattoo artists—and local entrepreneurs dressed in their trendiest streetwear who are all willing to have a more-than-30-second conversation with you. That’s an atmosphere that Nila Jose has created with Shop Local, a New Jersey-based networking and vendor space. Jose told Slice of Culture that she didn’t expect it to be where it is now, but she’s grateful.
“Just that alone gives me high hopes [that] this networking space will soon evolve on its own,” she added. “I’m just pushing event through event and see[ing] what opportunity comes [because] opportunities just fall at the right moment.”
Everyone Can Win
Jose, of Union, New Jersey, founded Shop Local around 2021 when COVID restrictions began to lift and people started going outside again.
Jose, who has her own business called Drink Wellness, said she thought it was a great opportunity to “branch out” with other small businesses; her friends also sold their own products like flowers and empanadas.
Shop Local was originally called Pop Out With Nila, which Jose laughed about, but noted that she changed it because it wasn’t the vibe she was going for.
“I want[ed] it to be more broad. It’s not just about Nila,” she laughed. “Shop Local [is] more versatile… [For that] I just put two and two together: Local businesses [and] everyone’s shopping, even though it’s more than that now, but that’s where [the name] ended up to be.”
Once the name was finalized, Jose said she wanted the logo to give off retro vibes, but still be relatable to Gen Z. She worked with a marketing expert and whipped up the logo she has today, which is inspired by “Looney Tunes,” one of her favorite cartoons.
Aside from pressures of starting a business, Jose also experienced some pushback from her family.
She explained that her family didn’t understand what she was doing, especially because vendor markets were “new,” but by being transparent and explaining what Shop Local is, it helped the way they saw it.
“People didn’t really know what a vendor market was, and the opportunity to have their businesses being broadcasted or being exposed in such a high level… So of course family support wasn’t as prominent, but it did get better over time. And sometimes you just have to believe in your own vision and push it yourself for other people to really hop on the wave with you,” Jose said.
“[My family] definitely hopped on the wave [now].”
And vendors from other states have also hopped on the wave for the Jersey-based platform. Jose added that Jersey’s emphasis on inclusivity has done “so much” for small businesses and startups in general.
A number of vendors at Shop Local’s past two events—Tiki Nights and Local Connects—have come from Jersey, but they have also come from New York and Philadelphia like Marz Meets Venus, a vintage shop, and Honorable Thieves, a hand-drawn clothing brand.
“I always like the friendly vibes [of Jersey]. It’s always love out here for real,” Qua, of Honorable Thieves, previously told Slice of Culture at Local Connects.
Pop Out With Shop Local
Jose noted that her Tiki Nights event in Paterson was her biggest one yet with 60 vendors and 250 people, which shocked her because she didn’t expect that many vendors to come out and support each other.
Now, her and her team are pushing for double the amount for their Saturday, Dec. 14 event, THE HOLIDAZE, at Warehouse 7 in Paterson. There will be food, live entertainment, a bar and, of course, vendors.
Looking ahead, Jose said a goal is to turn Shop Local into a “massive” market that can be like a festival, but she smirked and shrugged, “Who knows where it can take me?”
“I believe that there’s space for everyone to win. We can be selling the same product… but the fact that we come from different cultures, I think it just brings that livelihood of who we are,” Jose said.
“There’s room for everyone to express who they are and where they come from… So I love how Shop Local just highlights that.”
