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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Mission Night Market featured 26 local vendors. Christian Rinehart, the organizer of the event as well as the owner of Mission Taco and Suzie's Dogs and Drafts, said he wanted to help the vendors and artisians develop their products. In the future, Rinehart wants to have the events in multiple locations. The market occurs the second Friday of each month until October at Huntington Place Plaza. Rinehart plans to incorporate local music and expand the event by October. Pictured is Chao Feng, a bubble tea seller at the event.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The first Mission Night Market occurred on June 8 at Huntington Place Plaza. The market included local vendors, who bought tents for space to sell. A portion of the money made through the tents went toward the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. Pictured is Crystal Eckman, the mission ambassador, at the event.
By ZACK SHIVELY
The first Mission Night Market, featuring numerous vendors throughout the area, occurred on June 8 at the Huntington Place Plaza.
Christian Rinehart, owner of Mission Tacos and Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts, created the event to help local businesses to develop while raising funds for the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. The night featured 26 vendors, as well as the shops located in the plaza, such as Suzie’s.
“We fashioned [the event] after European and Asian models,” said Rinehart. He plans to have more vendors throughout the year and add live music to the event.
Rinehart believes the night market gave an opportunity to young entrepreneurs to develop their products and consumers. The 26 vendors included products with a wide range, such as healthy foods, shirt designs, paintings and crafts.
The set up for the night had vendor tents lined up in the parking lot along the front curd of the building. The tents faced inward toward the building, creating something similar to a hallway of shops, with vendors on one side and the plaza businesses on the other. Rinehart plans to add more vendors to the point where they wrap around the entire plaza.
Rinehart said that he wanted to help the Rescue Mission because he wants to help end homelessness in Youngstown. He said while he does love his dog, he finds it sad that there are so many pet adoption agencies in the area but only one shelter for people in the Mahoning Valley.
Crystal Eckman, the mission ambassador for the Rescue Mission, said she felt blessed to have the event help the mission. “It is important that people of the community help,” she said. Some of the proceeds from the tent sales will go to the organization. This money will be used to help feed, cloth and shelter homeless in the area.
The Mission Night Market will be hosted at the same location on the second Friday of each month. Rinehart hopes to continue to expand the event throughout the year. In future years, he plans to have the market in Salem and downtown Youngstown.