Richmond Night Market co-founders Melody Short and Adrienne Cole Johnson host a virtual market via Instagram Live in April. (Photo courtesy Richmond Night Market)
The Richmond Night Market, now in its second year, was scheduled to take over the 17th Street Market every second Saturday from April through December with vendor booths featuring local and visiting artists, interactive art stations, kids’ activities, live music, and DJs. Last year, the Night Market consistently drew crowds of up to 1,500 people, so when last month’s opening market was canceled due to social distancing orders, organizers looked for a way to keep the market going virtually.
“We are committed to this work we are doing,” says co-founder Melody Short, “and that was enough for us to pivot versus postpone.” The April Richmond Night Market moved to Instagram Live, where the virtual experience attracted an audience of more than 13,000 people and vendors enjoyed healthy sales. The event also got the attention of national media, Short says, including Black Enterprise and Travel Noire. “I would say we did something right to get their attention,” she says.
On Saturday, May 9, the Virtual Night Market Experience returns to Instagram Live from 5 to 10 p.m. The virtual event will feature appearances from 20 artisans showcasing their work from their studios, two 30-minute sets from Brooklyn DJ Monday Blue, a live acoustic set from reggae artist Mighty Joshua, a kids’ activity led by VPM and a virtual maker space with live painting from local artist S. Ross Browne.
Artisans and vendors will be checking in from Puerto Rico; Brooklyn, New York; Philadelphia; and Richmond, including locals Amiri Art, Seven Stones, Shapes and Color, Todd Parsons, Julian Green, and more. As artisans join the hosts via Instagram Live’s split-screen capability, viewers can express interest in items they are showing, or they can conduct transactions via the artisans’ own Instagram Live feeds or their websites.
After the first virtual market, Short says, “the feedback has been amazing. We had one artist who made $1,400 that night, and those sales doubled by the end of the week.” The virtual market is a way for Richmond Night Market to expand its reach in ways the in-person market cannot, she adds.
Short says they will also host a virtual market in June and will follow the lead of Gov. Ralph Northam, as well as their “internal selves” beyond that. “We know that people may not feel safe gathering in large groups for a while,” she says, adding that they are exploring ways to take the virtual format to other social media platforms.
Not only does the Richmond Night Market serve as a forum for small businesses and artisans to sell their goods, but it is also a small-business incubator. Through partnerships with sponsors including Capital One, small-business services are offered at no cost to participating artisans to assist in business development.
