The year’s first 4th Friday’s at the Pike took place from 5-10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, hosting a diverse array of local Long Beach artists and small businesses.
Food trucks, mobile boutiques, artists and designers were among the vendors that set up shop before the event began at sunset.
Heather Shipley of the Urban Hive Market, the organization that put together the event, estimated that between 500 to 1,000 residents of Long Beach came out to support the city’s entrepreneurs. She mentioned that a “good percent of the vendors” had sold all they brought by the night’s end.
For Shipley, a Long Beach native, this event was about exposing people to local business-owners and entrepreneurs. She said that a part of the motivation for putting it together was to help support people’s ability to make a living by doing what they love.
Potential customers began to walk through in gradually increasing numbers; some were couples, some were friends and others were shoppers whose eyes were lured by the craftsmanship on display as they walked by tents.
Nostalgia developed as musical favorites from the 1980s by The Clash, Guns N’ Roses and Michael Jackson were played over speakers, contrasting with the modern pop music being emanated from retailers such as Forever 21.
The night hoped to inspire a sense of community among Long Beach residents and provide a different shopping atmosphere, as customers and vendors were engaging in conversation with one another.
Stefano Enjem of BrewWings, a mobile business that sells chicken wings at various events across Los Angeles and Orange County, saw his customers wait in a packed line throughout the night.
Enjem said that when people give feedback, they often mention how happy they are to support small businesses. The 4th Friday’s event served as an opportunity for people to be exposed to many alternatives to the stores usually found at shopping centers.
For a local entrepreneur like Enjem, who has a goal of opening a brick and mortar shop in Long Beach, an event like 4th Fridays can help make that a reality.
“We definitely encourage students to participate,” said Shipley.
Shipley noted that students can apply to become vendors for future events as long as they obtain a seller’s permit from the city of Long Beach.
An event like this could be an ideal location for Cal State Long Beach students to share their talents, as it provides an avenue for people to get their name out and use their abilities to make money, according to Shipley.
To become a vendor at a future 4th Friday’s at the Pike, students can sign up on the Urban Hive Market’s website.
The next 4th Fridays at the Pike will take place on Feb. 24.