Source: Aubrey Rademacher/ Shoppers peruse Winter Vendor Market at Meridian Mall.
Meridian Mall hosted the Winter Vendor Market, which is an opportunity for local, small businesses to promote their companies and to spread awareness of how their business has changed in response to the pandemic.
Products on display included baked goods, mental health tools, nail polish, accessories and more. 6 different vendors exhibited at the market, and the turnout was much higher than years prior due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Nail companies
Anne Oswald, an independent stylist for the company Color Street, is selling a product that is a dry nail polish strip – it’s 100% nail polish that has zero dry time.
Color Street has been in business since 1988, but Oswald has been with the company since September of 2021. Color Street sells nail designs that go toward a specific cause. For example, one design titled “Celebrate differences” recognizes developmental differences. Another nail design, “Road to Recovery” brings awareness to substance use disorders.
Color Street will donate $150,000 toward two charitable programs, Autism Society and Gigi’s Playhouse, In March of 2022. Oswald also said Color Street is beneficial to those who are wanting to stay safe through the pandemic, because it is a nail procedure that can be done from the comfort of your own home. “People have definitely gotten used to staying in and taking matters into their own hands,” she said, “and this product ensures people can continue to do so.”
Massage collective
Caitlin Fitzpatrick and Sarah Suddarth, Licensed Massage Therapists for Avalon Massage Collective, are located on 1750 E. Grand River Rd.
The Collective takes safety and health protocols seriously, with everyone on staff fully vaccinated and the air filtered with a medical grade HEPA-13 filter. Services include therapeutic massages, private yoga, intuitive massages, and they also accommodate pregnant women.
Suddarth specializes in prenatal and postpartum massage, and Fitzpatrick specializes in therapeutic and sports massages.
Mental health services
Kelly Coats, is a clinical therapist who specializes in play therapy, works through Trillium Child and Family Services, a self-made business, in Lansing.
“I work with all populations, but the majority of who I work with are teenagers 17 and under. I utilize the power of play,” Coats said, “It reaches children because playing is the first thing children want to do, and you can pick up on their body language and emotions through that.”
Coats works through Trillium Child and Family Services, a self-made business, in Lansing. She said, “As soon as kids get comfortable with me through play, I’m able to talk to them about their problems without fear, trauma or anxiety, because they’re doing an action that is comfortable and normal to them.”
While Kelly Coats specializes her business particularly focusing on children and teenagers, she is a mental health therapist open to people of all ages.
Source: Michigan Shoppers Market
