This week for What Where When-sday, we discuss Shops at Porter East’s First Sunday. Located at 701 Porter Road in East Nashville, Shops at Porter East is a go-to shopping center for locally owned businesses featuring bakeries, boutiques, floral shops and more. On the first Sunday of every month, they host a family friendly market to bring together local vendors, food trucks and the community to raise awareness for the shopping center.
Apple & Oak owner Allison Holley told me how she came up with the idea and why she opened a shop at Porter East.
“When I first moved in, I wanted to do something that involves the neighborhood and the whole community,” she said. “Not for shop-driven sales, but just more awareness for the shopping center and something to give back to the neighborhood. When we decided on First Sunday, we started small, where we just took some of the parking spaces and the parking lot was still open. We started with probably five or six vendors and now we have about 30 vendors a month that come, including food trucks. We try to keep it inexpensive for them so it’s like less pressure on them and it’s just more to help all the small businesses stimulate the local economy and then provide something fun for the neighborhood to do.”
She continues: “Small business is hard. I’ve been open 10 years now, it gets harder each year somehow. But First Sunday is a great way to let new businesses try something out. A lot of the shops in here started as a First Sunday pop-up. Brightside Bake Shop, HiFi Cookies, Knockin’ Roots, and Ceremony, almost all of them were First Sunday Pop-up vendors and then ended up getting a shop in here since it did so well. And then it’s a lot of vintage people, so it just gives them the opportunity. We’re not trying to make money off of it, we’re just trying to give small businesses opportunity to get in front of more people.”
Along with 4th of July activities on Friday, here are some other event opportunities this weekend:
On Saturday (July 5), The Boom Bap performs at The Pool Club atop Virgin Hotels featuring DJ sets from hip hop legend 9th Wonder and Wally Sparks. Also Saturday at the Ryman, Elvis Costello and the Imposters take stage. On Sunday (July 6) Pro Wrestling Symphony is at Brooklyn Bowl, for the music and wrestling fans out there, and check out Ascend Amphitheater for Star Wars Under the Stars with the Nashville Symphony.