NORFOLK, Va. — Soon there will be more opportunities for small business in downtown Norfolk.
At Selden Market on E. Main Street you'll find 16 long-term pop-up shops and 11 small, mostly minority- and women-owned businesses.
One of the businesses is Norfolk Candle Co. That shop is owned by Brandon Brinkley who has shared his journey as an entrepreneur with News 3 before.
"Yeah, we started the business in the pandemic," said Brinkley.
At the time he'd turned from the then-shut down fashion industry to candle making at home.
"I kind of took over the whole house. So it's finally a transition out of the house and now I have a work space where I make all the candles," said Brinkley.
That flicker of an idea is now brightly burning. He opened a storefront at Selden Market this past July, with plans to open another location.
"We've done tons of pop ups here. They really care about small business and they try to help you grow. And the ultimate goal to be here is to grow enough to have your own storefront," said Brinkley.
A storefront at Selden Market was in store for Cooking with Greens owner Derak Green too. He's been growing his spice and cookware business with his wife Anita for the past seven years.
"I wanted to make healthier options for myself. I wanted to be able to show my family what it means to be healthier and what it means to cook in. Because food is life," said Green.
They opened the storefront in April.
At the store Friday, the flavor fan and MasterChef competitor tested out a recipe for a cocoa competition while he told News 3 why he wanted to bring his mostly online business into a physical space.
"Downtown Norfolk, we're looking at it as a vital area. Hopefully it will bring a lot of foot traffic," said Green.
There's a good chance of that. The market sees about a quarter million visitors a year, according to Careyann Weinberg director of economic vitality for Downtown Norfolk Council.
Weinberg said Selden Market opened as a temporary project in 2017 and since then they've hosted hundreds of pop-ups and nearly 40 businesses.
"And of that about 80 percent of those have moved on to continue their businesses outside of Selden Market around Hampton Roads," said Weinberg. "You get to see them learn, grow and then move on and accomplish really great things. For example Doughminion Donuts who was here in 2017 here with us, that owner owns the Pink Dingy down at the Oceanfront which is an amazing restaurant."
Now Selden Market is expanding to become more permanent. It's entering phase two of a $1 million grant-funded project. You'll see a new storefront space, at least eight pop up spots, aesthetic enhancements, upgrades to other spaces and more.
The space is valuable to the small business owners.
They said it's the customer experience.
"It's a little different than just going to a mall and walking into a place and having a second hand experience. It feels like a first-hand experience. You're talking to the innovators," explained Green.
And it's the feedback.
"I actually didn't realize how much tourism is downtown. It's neat to get a new customer and see what they're after and what their experience is in Norfolk too," said Brinkley.
Selden Market's opening applications for businesses later this month.
Holiday events at the market kick off at the end of the month too.
