Hey there, Oak Lawn Strip,
Y’know, in doing The Market on the Strip for roughly 2 and a half years, we often get a few questions. The two main questions are usually who we are and why we do the market. There are longer answers for both of those questions, of course, but the simplest answer is just that we are allies who love this community and want to support people while also helping small businesses grow.
But the longer versions of those answers?
We’ve spent large chunks of our lives around the community and The Strip in particular, whether it was eating at Panda’s and renting It’s A Wonderful Life from Tapelenders as a kid to having drinks at Round-Up and Sue Ellen’s as adults. We’ve always believed that love is love, everyone deserves a seat at the table, and that human rights are non-negotiable.
On the other side of this, we have also spent a ton of time as vendors at a variety of events around DFW, including the original Cedar Springs Art Festival, Razzle Dazzle, etc. We’ve experienced how difficult being a vendor is sometimes as well as the fun aspects of it. It’s truly a give-and-take situation and the support from people means the world to any vendor.
With that mentality in mind, a vendor-first initiative started to form for us. That’s where our idea for the market began. We wanted to do something that would give small businesses a chance to become bigger businesses. Then, we thought about some of our friends who are in the LGBTQ community who needed a hand too. A lot of them wanted to showcase their businesses and express themselves, but they needed a place to feel comfortable doing that. So, after a ton of planning and thought, The Market on the Strip was born.
The first year of the market was very much an attempt at figuring things out and getting the hang of it. It’s fair to say that we understood a lot of how it worked already by being vendors for so long ourselves, but truly holding the reins of it is a different beast and one we had to learn to navigate. We definitely fell short in aspects that first year, but you guys accepted and supported us. We were not going to let anyone down.
So, then after switching spots in the second year, it became about applying everything we’d learned and trying to refine our events. We wanted to make it the best we possibly could for everyone and give y’all an extra thing to add to your weekend Sunday Funday routines. Were we biting off more than we could theoretically chew? Well, that’s where the third year comes in.
For our third year out here, the mindset has been focused on expansion while still keeping our core values intact. Now, in our third year, we have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. We’ve made a bunch of friends along the way, too, and their support has really allowed us to grow in a way we didn’t initially anticipate. We are confident about what we’re capable of and can deliver larger and better experiences. What started as a simple idea on a random, inconsequential day has blossomed into something that we honestly couldn’t have imagined before.
When we mention our core values there, that goes into what our ultimate mission statement is. The goal is, has been, and always will be to uplift this wonderful community and shine a light on the amazing people and businesses in the neighborhood while also assisting small businesses in achieving their dreams.
If you’re curious how you can help, bring your friends and come see our amazing vendors! They’ve always got awesome stuff waiting for ya! You can also visit our website www.themarketonthestrip.com to keep up with all of the fun things we do. You do not know how much we all appreciate you. Every purchase, every conversation, every visit helps keep these small businesses moving forward. That’s what this market has always been about. Thank you for supporting them, supporting us, and supporting this community we all love.
We are in this together.
Angie & Chris
The Market on the Strip
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