Make it Upstate
Erin Pihlaja (left) and Lynette Tarrats (right) both co-founders and co-owners of Make it Up State. In this pic we are donating non-perishable food items gathered by patrons and customers at The Marketplace to the pantry at Unity House in Troy, NY. Unity House feeds at least 150 families every week.
By Samantha Simmons, Broadcast Editor
There is a new makers market in the Capital Region, and it looks like it is here to stay called Make it Upstate. A new Sunday morning market meant to give crafters a space to sell their goods.
Erin Pihlaja and Lynette Tarrats are co-owners and co-founders of Make It Upstate. Pihlaja and Tarrats are both local businesswomen.
Pihlaja was the former executive of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District and Tarrats is a local realtor, real estate re-developer, and entrepreneur.
The two met while working with the same client and both had the same views and beliefs on economic development.
Make it Upstate came from ideas of economic development, neighborhood redevelopment, and the thought of turning vacant spaces into innovative ingenuity.
Pihlaja said she is a “big believer in economic development and if you can, start on ground level, a grassroots effort.”
With small businesses being hit so hard during COVID and not receiving much relief from the government, this was a great opportunity to give back.
The pitch for the market was given in December. They had planned to start as an ecommerce business and eventually have in-person events. Pihlaja said the idea moved so quickly that they ended up starting with an in-person market and will add an online store to supplement that.
When trying to figure out the logistics of how this could be done and done well, they were in contact with Steven Riddler, Troy Waterfront Farmers Market manager. Pihlaja and Tarrats saw how the well-known Saturday market was being run and saw that it was done well and safely.
Once plans were set up on where the market was going to take place, Sunday mornings at the old Lansingburgh Price Chopper, word spread quickly. Soon there was an overwhelming number of applications for spots at the market.
Pihlaja said she never thought it would grow that big that quickly and felt bad that she had to turn down vendors. She hopes that those who were turned down on their first try understand that there needs to be a diverse offering of goods that will meet the needs of a diverse demographic.
Because Pihlaja and Tarrats believe so much in community rehabilitation, the idea of having a maker’s market was a no-brainer. Pihlaja said this will cause a ripple effect. If creators invest in themselves, consumers will follow. The market allows for small businesses to be incubated until they can become more self-sufficient in their business and crafting. With sellers and buyers depending on each other, a sort of ecosystem forms.
Manufacturing is huge in this state and always has been, Pihlaja said.
This project allows for the promotion of small businesses and sustainable development throughout the state. She added that there is also a need for this right now in a positive and safe way for everyone. Make it Up State, along with giving vendors a space to sell their goods, it also helps out these smaller businesses that maybe don’t have many available resources like a good marketing team or strategies available to them.
With the following that Make it Up State has received so far, the platform and audience that these businesses can reach is so much more.
Pihlaja said her most rewarding moment of this whole project so far took place a couple of weeks after the launch of the market and she said people waiting in their cars before the 10 a.m. opening.
“As they filled the space it filled my heart,” everyone seemed so happy she said.
She continued that there were a lot of moving pieces that needed to be put together to make this work along with handfuls of unknowns but with the success that the market has had so far in its few months makes it all worth it. There is still so much more room for growth and potential for the market and its vendors.
As for future plans, once the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market moves outside, the makers market plans to do the same. They plan to collaborate with private and municipal companies to host pop-up events anywhere in the state. They hope to build it not just as an event, but also an experience.
No definite plans have been made yet for what follows next.
If you have a small business of your own that you are interested in getting a spot at the market email makeitupstate@gmail.com or erin.pihlaja@gmail.com, follow the market on Instagram and Facebook @makeitupstate. You can also find them on the web at makeitupstate.com.