NYC's Mercantile Mayhem: Shopping Objects, Queens Night Market Vendors and Startup CPG Offerings
A newsletter about the survival of independent businesses in New York City with a focus on immigrant-owned, storefront retail and CPG enterprises.
Greetings Mercantile Mayhem readers. It’s still a wacky world out there yet thousands of independent business owners in New York City continue to wake up every morning tending to business, making the city a far more colorful and vibrant environment. Imagine if New York City’s commerce was exclusively devoted to Big Business, ie corporations and chain stores? It’s not easy for many storefront retail, restaurants or other types of independent business owners to survive. Please take a moment to watch this “State of Shop” post made by Caroline Weaver, owner of The Locavore Variety Store about the viability of storefront retail today in New York City.
RETAILERS SHOP AT SHOPPE OBJECT
Continuing on the subject of independent retail, I visited Shoppe Object last week, a home and gift trade show for retail buyers, from art museum stores to independent shop owners. The three-day show takes place twice a year in New York City at different venues, this past Shoppe Object took place on two floors of the Starrett-Lehigh Building building in Chelsea.
Booth after booth, independent creative makers, 1-, 2-, 3-person operations (with a few larger outfits thrown in) displayed their beautifully designed objects: handblown glass bowls, colorful tea towels, silk scarves, funky stuffed creatures, artisanal chocolate, glittery leather purses, tins of tea, etc. And I don’t put these into the “future landfill” category because they are gorgeous objects that are also useful.
And while independent creative makers might seem like a fluff story, it’s not, these are businesses that create jobs, pay taxes and provide joy. Please read Heather Long’s Twitter/X post (sorry, I know Twitter/X is a cesspool enriching Musk, but the post is not on Bluesky) about the decline of small business in the US, commenting on the Washington Post’s data-driven article "Is America still a nation of small businesses?" by Andrew Van Dam. The article states 53% of Americans now work for big businesses, a major shift starting in the 1980s. When economist Jason Furman tweeted that “This is a favorable development…” about the virtues of big business, Stacy Mitchell of ILSR had a rebuttal.
Back to Shoppe Object… this past show had more than 800 brands exhibiting, according to Shoppe Object’s website, and seems to be overtaking the NY Now show held simultaneously at the Javits Center, as the preferred show by brands. (I am not certain if they are in the “frenemy” category, there is shuttle buses between the shows.)
Exhibitors have told me they prefer Shoppe Object because the quality of goods is higher, spaces are nicer and the management is more relaxed. The Javits Center’s unions have rules that cost exhibitors hundreds of extra dollars if they want any alterations to their booths, like an extra light—unions are generally good but some union rules defy logic.
I usually focus exclusively on New York City based businesses but I can’t resist sprinkling in a few brands from outside the city because of their brilliant creations. I'm obsessed with Donna Wilson’s pigeon with a missing foot, which I posted on Instagram.
CALL FOR VENDORS AT QUEENS NIGHT MARKET
It’s baaaa-aaack! The Queens Night Market is preparing for its 2025 season starting April 12 and looking for vendors. Are you a seasoned or novice food vendor? For those who don’t know, the Queens Night Market is a sprawling outdoor marketplace in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which offers a mind-boggling variety of freshly prepared food with global roots: Malaysia, Ukraine, Sudan, Portugal, Jamaica, the Philippines, Poland, Afghanistan, the list goes on.
Located at the New York Hall of Science, the market operates on Saturday nights, 4pm - midnight during the spring and summer with a bonus October month, 4pm - 11pm. (I go early to avoid long lines.) There are typically more than 100 independent vendors selling food and other items at reasonable prices, along with multiple performances or DJ sessions. Many food businesses currently operating in New York City first launched at the Queens Night Market and some continue to vend there. Apply here if you are interested in vending at the 2025 Queens Night Market.
EVENTS AT STARTUP CPG
Startup CPG is a community of CPG (consumer packaged goods—products that sell on physical or virtual marketplace shelves) entrepreneurs and adjacent professionals, founded by Daniel Scharff, I’ve written about it before if the name sounds familiar.
Anyone who is interested in the CPG world—designers, food scientists, founders, investors, buyers, marketers—at any stage in their career, can join the Startup CPG slack channel, via the Startup CPG website link, which has more than 20,000 members. The only rule is no selling, instead, it’s a place to exchange ideas, recommendations, experiences and contacts in the industry
The indefatigable Scharff and his team are popping up all across the country (and Canada for that matter) at food shows, conventions and meetups. Startup CPG also has a podcast series and holds live webinars.
A few events in the near future, found in the Slack channel, include:
Apply via Slack for a chance to be one of 25 brands at Startup CPG’s table at the Summer Fancy Food Show, June 29 - July 1, 2025, in New York City. It costs, but it’s a special rate.
A “Product Development 101” webinar is scheduled for February 18, 2025, 3 pm ET.
The emerging CPG brand party during Expo West, the natural products expo in Anaheim, California, March 4-7, 2025.
SMALL BUSINESS MAJORITY’S WEBINAR ON FINANCING
There are plenty of scams out there when small business owners are looking for financing options. If a lending scheme seems too good to be true, it probably is and predatory to boot. This Small Business Majority (yes, one of Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsors, thank you!) webinar with Antonio Aguilar is designed to help small business owners navigate the various and sundry financing options. The free one hour session will discuss trusted sources of funding, including Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). And coincidentally, Mercantile Mayhem’s other sponsor, Accompany Capital (thank you!) is a CDFI.
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MASS DEPORTATION, A REPORT BY IRI & FPI
In light of the new administration’s policies on deporting non-resident immigrants, the Immigration Research Initiative and Fiscal Policy Institute released a joint report on the economic impact of mass deportation in New York last month. Of course there are ethical and human rights issues, but just focusing on the economic and fiscal impact, a few key findings include:
In 2022, people who are undocumented paid an estimated $3.1 billion in state and local taxes in New York.
If just one out of ten people who are undocumented were deported or put into detention camps, that would result in a loss of $310 million in state and local tax revenue.
Other losses also include a family who no longer has its breadwinner or the cost of putting kids into the foster care system if their parents get deported.
The cost of deportation and detention.
If it became possible for undocumented people to gain legal status, it would increase New York state and local tax revenues by $900 million.
Please read the report here for more information, including people with Temporary Protected Status, DACA recipients, asylum seekers and even those with H-1B and H-2A visas.
Thank you to Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsor Accompany Capital. Based in New York City, Accompany Capital, a CDFI, helps immigrants and refugees with loans and financial services. Please read about it here.
Thank you to Small Business Majority, Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsor. SBM supports and empowers small businesses across the US with a focus on public policy. Please read about SBM here.
WHY NOT SPONSOR MERCANTILE MAYHEM?
Yes, I am still looking for one additional sponsor—individuals, businesses, organizations or foundations—who believe independent businesses in New York City need to survive. Do you want a city full of just Sweetgreens and Chipotles? I certainly do not. If you would like to know sponsorship rates and newsletter stats (open rates and such) please email me: ninarobertsnyc@gmail.com and I’ll send you the details. Please forward this newsletter to others.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Hot Bread Kitchen and Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream Bootcamp boot camp link is now live. This program helps entrepreneurs who want to grow their business. Apply here, deadline is February 25, 2025.