City grants support diverse local vendors in Love Park’s Christmas Village         Department of Commerce and Parks & Rec award grants to community organizations to increase                                        equitable access to vending opportunities in LOVE Park’s Christmas Village.

PHILADELPHIA – The Department of Commerce partnered with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to award three community-based organizations with grants for diverse vendors to grow their businesses at LOVE Park’s Christmas Village. The goal is to increase equitable access to vending opportunities by connecting entrepreneurs with local organizations that provide grant management, staffing, language access, technical assistance, schedule rotation, and more.

Every year, Christmas Village transforms LOVE Park into a traditional, open-air German Christmas Market. After success last year, this City program to bring local, minority-owned vendors has returned to Christmas Village where merchants sell a variety of gift items including food, drink, fashion, home goods, arts and crafts.

Christmas Village is open daily from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. through December 24.  

The community-based organizations that recruited 22 total vendors to sell a variety of local, cultural, and handmade gift items are:

  • Esperanza

  • South Street Headhouse District, and

  • The Welcoming Center.

“Minority-owned businesses are the heartbeat of Philadelphia’s economy. We are proud to provide funding for a consecutive year to support local vendors who sell their merchandise at Christmas Village.” said Commerce Director Anne Nadol. “Esperanza, South Street Headhouse District and The Welcoming Center are our community pillars working diligently to assist each vendor through the process. These collaborative efforts help increase wealth building opportunities that are accessible to BIPOC Philadelphia-based vendors and businesses.”

The program shines a spotlight on Philadelphia’s diverse entrepreneurs who designed dynamic storefronts at LOVE Park, one of the city’s most popular public spaces managed by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. The organizations support their vendors in navigating weekly inventory, and the upfront costs to participate. This type of local assistance allows them to be better prepared for thousands of successful holiday shopping interactions every day.

“Christmas Village in LOVE Park is a Philadelphia holiday tradition,” said Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell. “Every year, thousands of people look forward to visiting Christmas Village, and this grant opportunity allowed several participating businesses to vend for the very first time ever, further elevating the LOVE Park Christmas Village experience.”

These vendors, recruited by each organization, are offering crafts globally inspired and locally made at Christmas Village this year until December 24, 2022. They rotate on a weekly basis and are located in three brightly painted shipping containers that stand out amongst the rows of wooden huts within LOVE Park.

South Street Headhouse District presents: 

  • Black and Nobel

  • South Street Art Mart

  • Paper Moon

  • Queen & Rook Game Cafe

  • Oxymoron Fashion House

  • Yowie

  • Loomen Labs Candles

The Welcoming Center presents:

  • Ana Ramirez, Artesania Guatemalteca de Ana

  • Fatemeh Fard, Strong Woman Design

  • Gladis Avila, Venbisu

  • Julie Gonzalez, Moonlight Arte

  • Linda Abd Ulbaki, Creaciones Linda

  • Luis Lozano, Mochi Bay

  • Mildred Cano, Flors Spa Moments at Home

  • Tania Greene, Pieces De Mi Alma

  • Tania Leon, Tenangos Philly

  • Sivia Roldán, Yaku Wear

  • Zulma Guzman, Pupuseria y Artesanias Leticia

  • Yemisi Ajayi, Yemisi Art

  • Reyna Navarro, Artenesia Mundo de Queen

All vendors supported by The Welcoming Center are immigrants representing the following countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Venezuela, Syria, Colombia, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.

Esperanza presents:

  • Café Tinto

  • Elsa Jewelry

For all future opportunities and business financial support programs, visit the Department of Commerce’s website.

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The Department of Commerce is the economic catalyst for the City of Philadelphia helping all businesses thrive. Commerce creates equitable wealth-building opportunities to grow quality jobs, build capacity in under-resourced communities, and make it easier to operate a successful business in Philadelphia. Commerce staff provides one-on-one customer service, outreach, and education to business owners. Commerce also partners with community organizations and business associations to reach all entrepreneurs. Visit us at https://www.phila.gov/commerce and follow @PHLCommerce on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of its people through stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways, and management of 500 recreation buildings, 166 miles of trail, and 250 playgrounds. PPR offers safe, enjoyable recreation, environmental and cultural programs and events throughout Philadelphia’s parks and recreation system. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city’s residents by connecting them to the natural world, to each other and to fun, physical and social opportunities. In 2017, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell, set about implementing the park system’s first strategic plan: Our Path to 2020 and Beyond. As a result, PPR is undertaking a period of historic change, setting the department on a course to become a modern, equitable and exceptional parks and recreation system. Visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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