Looking past the green facade of the establishment, hanging plants and pictures adorn the walls of the First Sip Cafe. Some patrons are buried in their laptops, others are conversing over a cup of coffee. Linda Govea, 31, and Amanda Perez, 39, are across from the coffee bar selling products from their respective small businesses. Govea sells a variety of nature-inspired ceramics, while Perez is pushing a line of nontoxic sustainable candles. Erin Hoang, owner of the cafe, is behind the bar serving sweets and drinks while a string of lights and vintage tea cups are suspended above her.
Hoang, 32, opened her shop in 2017, with her selling Vietnamese-style coffees, teas and desserts. Located at Asia on Argyle in Chicago’s Uptown, the cozy rustic-style cafe hosts similar events every month, whether it be an art show or a new performance telling jokes or singing songs. However, Hoang decided March would host a different kind of event and began the March Mini Market.
“During the weekdays we always have one or two extra tables anyways, so I could give it up to a vendor to have them sell their stuff,” Hoang said. The cafe will be welcoming new vendors to sell their products every market day, with them providing communication and support to the small businesses. “For us, we don’t charge vendors fees or commissions as a lot of places do because we understand the hustle,” said Hoang. At other places, vendors could show up and make a loss from the fees due to not selling anything. “We would feel really bad so we don’t want to charge money.”
Linda Goveawas one of these vendors that attended on March 3, selling a variety of functional ceramics. This included decorative gardenware, tableware and pottery for everyday use. “I’ve been following First Sip Cafe for a very long time, it’s one of my favorite places,” Govea said. When she saw the callout for vendors on instagram, she was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity.
Not only did First Sip Cafe host vendors, but also live talents like 28-year-old Jonathan Brown, who performed a number of acoustic songs during an after-hours show. “I come to this cafe all the time,” Brown said. “I love this cafe, and I like what they are about and figured I might as well reach out and play for them.”
“I just hope that vendors are able to make a little bit of extra money this season, or promote their products to customers,” said Hoang. She hopes that residents of the neighborhood can stop by, browse the variety of products and enjoy a cup of coffee while someone plays music live.
The March Mini Market at First Sip Cafe will continue to run every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until the end of March, from 4 to 7 p.m.