Everyone loves the idea of shopping locally – helping out the mom and pop stores in the neighborhood, getting to know your local vendors by name, and at the same time fostering the sense of community we have here in our great borough of Brooklyn. But shopping locally takes time and effort. You actually have to unglue your eyes from your computer screen or smart phone, walk a few blocks to a store, make small talk with people, maybe visit the ATM if you’re going to the “cash only” bodega that sells your preferred brand of organic kefir. For many of us, Fresh Direct, Amazon and Diapers.com have fulfilled the needs of us busy parents who have a hard time finding the time to make a big shop for weekly essentials. But then there’s the guilt factor of increasing our carbon footprint by having things delivered to the house and not getting out to socialize with our neighbors.
That’s why we all love a good market – and Brooklyn has so many of them happening at various times throughout the year. But wait! What if there were a market that had both a physical location where we could interact face-to-face with local vendors, as well as an online component that allowed us to purchase from these same vendors on an ongoing basis? My friends, this place now exists, and it’s name is Zaarly. Zaarly “exists as a company to enable people everywhere to make money doing what they love”. Their greater purpose is not to encourage people to shop online but to bring them out to interact with their friends, neighbors and local vendors, which they do via the Zaarly Bazaar.
So where can I find the Zaarly Bazaar? If you’re planning on sticking around Brooklyn this weekend, you’re in luck! There’s a Zaarly Bazaar happening Saturday, March 30th, at The Space at 50 N. 3rd (located in The Villain). The whole thing kicks off at 3:00 p.m. (perfect timing for those of us who have kids who still nap.) So take the whole family up to Williamsburg this Saturday to meet with some of Zaarly’s amazing storefront owners.
Can’t make it? No problem! You still have the option to shop locally at Zaarly.com. It’s easy and fun. Browse local listings, make your purchase, and mark your favorites so that these same vendors can give you a heads up when they add something new to their inventory. What can you find on Zaarly.com? Everything from baked goods to fitness classes to personal shoppers to help with event planning – and much more. Want a local chef to come to your house and cook dinner for you and ten friends? Zaarly can help you out. What about a person to help you become a professional networker (a “work-the-room cheerleader”)? Yep, they’ve got that too.
But don’t take my word for the coolness factor Zaarly has going on. Check it out for yourself this weekend at the Zaarly Bazaar in Williamsburg. We’ll be there stuffing our faces with delicious chocolate and baked goods made by local shops. Maybe I’ll spring for a new pair of earrings or a hat made by a local artisan as well, because ZAARLY IS OFFERING EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE $20 TO SPEND AT THE BAZAAR. You heard right. Zaarly will give you 20 smackers to spend on local deliciousness, which is WAY worth the commute. And heck, if you already live in northern Brooklyn, then you have no excuse for not being there.
One last thing! Be sure to register. It’s free, but capacity is limited, so SIGN UP HERE!