Made Local Marketplace Reopening in Santa Rosa

A single storefront in Santa Rosa has shoehorned in locally made wares from 350 Sonoma County producers.

The Made Local Marketplace, 531 5th St, will hold a grand re-opening ceremony from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 18.

"The Made Local Marketplace started three years ago with just 35 artists in 400 square feet," organizers said in a press release. "The store has recently expanded to 1,200 square feet with over 350 artisans making products ranging from everyday items like food and soap to specialty items including housewares, kids' toys and clothing."

Founder Kelley Rajala said the shop functions as a sort of "retail business incubator," giving entrepreneurs a place to market-test their products and packaging while growing their sales.

"Every week we have new makers wanting to sign up to sell their items at our store," the press release quoted her as saying.

The shop is also expanding with the launch of a program called North Bay Made, which will seek to get more products made in the six-county North Bay region into area stores.

"North Bay Made is the next evolution of supporting the local and regional economy at a larger scale," co-owner Pamela Dale was quoted as saying. "We help entrepreneurs get their products into the market and grow their businesses through a growing network of retail stores."

More information is available at www.madelocalmarketplace.com and www.northbaymade.org.

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