Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many festivals were canceled this year and last.
For casual festival-goers, this might mean a less eventful summer. But for the small-business owners who depend upon these festivals for income, the many cancellations are financially damaging.
Natalie Rae, owner of Natalie Rae NY, is one of those small-business owners. Festivals are a large source of income for the businesses that sell goods or services during what were annual community events.
Small-business owners depend upon these festivals to financially propel them through the rest of the year, she said.
“There’s so many of these big festivals in Rochester and Buffalo,” Rae said. “We’re a huge festival city, and so many of the large ones have been canceled this year, as well as last year. This is the second year without Park Ave, Corn Hill, Jazz Fest, Allentown, Elmwood — I could keep going on.”
To fill the gap in the hole this year, Rae founded Good Vibes Pop-up Shops, a new festival, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 31, at the Metropolitan in downtown Rochester.
“Usually your entire year is booked with festivals, and so, because those were canceled, I just decided to put on my own festival to help support myself and vendors like me in the community to keep our businesses up and running,” she said.
Rae said 31 businesses are participating in Good Vibes Pop-up Shops. There is, she said, “a little bit for everybody.”
Attendees will be able to purchase handbags, home décor items, jewelry, clothing, loungewear, artwork, prints, candles, pottery, children’s clothing and toys, wall hanging, macramé, stickers, letter pressing, hoop and canvas embroidery and more, said the event’s organizer.
Held inside of The Metropolitan, the festival will go on whether there’s rain or shine. Housing the festival indoors was a key factor, Rae said, to ensure that there would be no reason to add Good Vibes Pop-up Shops to the long list of canceled festivals this year.
“So many festivals are outside, and we’re just so dependent on the weather the entire summer, spring and fall,” she said. “So I decided it should be inside. This way, we can create our own atmosphere and vibe.”
The name of the festival, too, was an intentional, atmosphere-creating choice.
“We came up with the Good Vibes name and vibe because we feel like that’s what people need right now, just fun, happy, bright colors,” she said.
To help create the vibe, the festival will have a DJ. Bar Bantam is open. There, attendees will be able to purchase food and drinks, including a signature Good Vibes cocktail, that Rae said is “a purple-y blue color.”
There will be two Instagram selfie stations, one upstairs and one downstairs, a bubble machine outside and decorations.
Attendees should plan to spend whatever they are comfortable with spending. Rae says…
Read More: Good Vibes Pop-up Shops set for July 31 at The Metropolitan in Rochester