Hello Vendors,
We are very excited to be spending some social time together with everyone who is coming to the Vendor Party this Saturday night! If you haven’t already, please let us know if you’re attending and if you’re able to bring a dish, appetizer, or dessert. You can email us at vendors@marketstreetcreatives.com — we can’t wait to see you all.
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Over the past few months, we’ve been working very closely with the City of Torrington on an application for a Community Investment Fund (CIF) Grant — and we’re incredibly proud to share that they approached us about sponsoring Market Street Creatives for this state-level grant.
After seeing what has been built here in such a short amount of time — not just the space itself, but the impact on our vendors and the broader community — they believed in our vision and wanted to support it. That alone is a huge honor, and we are truly humbled by their confidence in what MSC represents.
The application process itself was intense, with a very short timeline, but we successfully submitted everything in December. We’re told grant awards will be announced in March.
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What This Means for You
Many of you already know how much we have planned for Market Street Creatives. If awarded, this grant would allow us to accelerate projects that are already part of our vision — projects designed specifically to drive more foot traffic, more engagement, and more opportunity for every vendor, including:
- Expanded entertainment and event offerings
- Additional business studios
- A larger and more robust Creator Space
- The potential addition of a commercial kitchen for local food businesses, food trucks, and vendors who need licensed space to create products for sale
All of this is about one thing: bringing more people through the doors of MSC — and helping your businesses grow.
Please keep your fingers crossed for all of us!
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Advocating for MSC (and YOU)
Beginning next week, I will be meeting with several state legislators and officials, bringing them through Market Street Creatives and sharing our vision for supporting small business growth in Connecticut.
Their voices and votes matter in the grant process, and I am working closely with Torrington’s Economic Development Department to ensure that decision-makers don’t just understand what MSC is — but who our vendors are, where you come from, and the incredible range of talent and entrepreneurship represented here.
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How You Can Help (and Benefit Too!)
To support this effort, Kaitlyn Robbins will be attending our Vendor Party on Saturday to capture:
- Vendor video testimonials (optional but incredibly impactful)
- Short promo videos that you can use on your own social media
Any testimonials collected will be shared with the City of Torrington and included in presentations as I meet with government officials. This helps show the real, human impact MSC is having — and it directly strengthens our grant application.
The bonus?
We’ll also be using this content across MSC’s marketing channels, and you’ll be able to use it too. Your participation helps MSC grow and gives you great promotional content — win-win.
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One More Big Favor
As I begin this campaign journey next week, if you haven’t already, please leave us a 5-star Google review. Reviews will be referenced in presentations, and every single one matters.
You can leave a review using this direct link:
https://tinyurl.com/MarketStreetCreatives
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We are incredibly proud of how far we all have come in just 5–6 months. The talent, hard work, and amazing people that make up this community are what fuel everything we’re building.
There is so much more ahead, and together we are going to make Market Street Creatives a premier destination in Connecticut.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts — and we look forward to spending time together this Saturday night.
With gratitude,
Erick