#LOCALLOVE campaign supports valley art and organizations at Westfield Palm Desert

This weekend was the first-ever pop-up marketplace in the parking lot at the Westfield Mall in Palm Desert. It's a part of their #LocalLove campaign. The idea for this outdoor marketplace came from a local business owner. News Channel 3's Caitlin Thropay met with that owner as well as other vendors to hear about the event's turnout.

“I’m beyond grateful this turned into something I never thought it would,” owner of EP Black Label Esther Rosenfeld told News Channel 3.

Rosenfeld owns a local business that sells body products like scrubs, shampoos and conditioners. She also organized this pop-up marketplace at the Westfield Mall in Palm Sesert.

“There are 90 vendors," she said. "All different kinds of fun stuff from jewelry, crafts, clothing,” she explained.

Rosenfeld reached out to some local vendors through social media and the word spread.

“Everybody was so interested in coming together it turned into this awesome day,” Rosenfeld said.

The event’s turnout was so awesome that there’s now a waitlist with more than 55 vendors on it.

“The hope is to maybe go into another lot and keep it outdoor until obviously the heat and then collaborating with Westfield to take it indoors which would be unheard of to take a wear market farmer’s market type situation into the mall,” she said.

The youngest vendor at the marketplace was 9-year-old Kenzie Servin.

“I’m selling tie-dye socks and tie-dye scrunchies,” Servin said.

She’s been using some of her time during this pandemic to learn how to tie-dye and is now a young entrepreneur.

“I ask them hi how are you and I ask them if they would like a sock or scrunchie and then if they do I package it,” she said.

“We’ve all been closeted in our homes and when we saw this was happening this is actually our favorite mall we come to the Stuft Pizza all the time,” Charlene Brown said while shopping at the marketplace on her birthday with a group of friends.

Many people wandered through the marketplace browsing all the unique vendors.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for small business to get on track again because of the whole covid situation and start to build up a business,” owner of Heavenly Convections, Jenny Ishikawa said.

The mall is looking to keep this marketplace going once a month so stay tuned for when they release next month’s date.