Shop small and support creatives of color at the annual Mujeres Market, holiday edition, returning to L.A. for the sixth annual year this weekend.
The event on Saturday, Dec. 16 and Sunday, Dec. 17, at Void Studios in the downtown L.A. Arts District, will feature over 75 BIPOC-owned small businesses, diverse performances, and an array of services.
Mujeres Market started in 2017 as a space for female of color creatives and entrepreneurs to meet, and find opportunities for growth in their communities, organizers say.
The market is for “women, femmes, gender marginalized, trans and queer people of color,” said its Executive Director, Mónica Virgen Zamora. The initiative has since gained over 34,000 followers on Instagram, and has even expanded to Tucson, Arizona.
This year will be “more important than ever” for community support to shop small, Zamora said — with rising inflation, prices of goods and overall economic hardship.
“For at least 90% of our community, this is their day job. This is their full-time work,” said Zamora. “This year is kind of just all of us figuring out how do we still survive and make a community that is thriving when so much is going on and bearing witness to everyone’s financial struggles and holding space for that.”
The popular L.A. holiday shop has been held each year except in 2020.
Along with diverse live music and vendors including Smile Cult, East Los Sweets and Chingona Hoops, this year’s Mujeres Market will feature drag king performances by entertainers like Manny Oakley, Charles Galin and Jack Doff.
Local artists will be creating tattoo flash sheets. Animal services, including cat adoptions, vaccinations and a microchipping clinic, will also be available at the pet-friendly event.
Another highlight will be a book signing and poetry performance from Yesika Salgado, an L.A.-based body positivity activist and award-winning author.
Void Studios is located at 677 Imperial St. in Los Angeles. Tickets to the Mujeres Market are $5 suggested donation, available on Eventbrite. The event on Dec. 16 and 17 starts at 11 a.m.
For more information, visit @mujeresmarket on Instagram.