Entrepreneurship, Vintage Style, and Supporting Local Businesses: An Interview with Jodie and Jade of The Local Holiday Bazaar
Jodie Alonso and Jade Spalding are two positively-lovely creatives who have travelled across the pond from the UK, only to land here in our very own SD.
Their latest venture is The Local Holiday Bazaar, which will be held December 3rd at The Corky McMillin Event Center at Liberty Station, featuring a plethora of San Diego artisans.
Make no mistake- this isn’t your everyday multi-vendor marketplace!
Each and everyone participating in the Local Holiday Bazaar has been handpicked by Jodie and Jade with a greater vision in mind: building creative community without competition.
I had the privilege of meeting with Jodie and Jade to talk all things creating-your-own-business, and maybe snap a flower crown-donned photo or two along the way.
There SD: First, and perhaps the most obvious question- How do two Brit gals land in San Diego?
Jodie Alonso: My husband and I Googled 3 yrs ago where is great to live in the world for good weather. SD was in the top 3. We had never heard of it before so flew over for two nights and instantly fell in love.
Jade Spalding: I live in Laguna beach, i was living in NYC and came over to visit Jodie in January 2015, leaving behind several feet of snow and of course fell in love with the west coast! Beautiful outdoor living, stunning landscape and lots to do for my 3 kids!
There SD: Fully can’t argue with you on the weather front. How does the creative community here differ in your personal experience?
Jodie: There is so much support for building a community over competition here. So many of the vendors know each other or are related in some way.
Jade: Americans are always have such a positive “Can do” attitude. I love that, and it breeds freedom and creativity. You are also always so encouraging and complimentary of anyone giving it a go so that really allows creative communities to grow.
There SD: How would each of you describe your personal style?
Jodie: Literally everything i own is floral or has some kind of a bold print, & i live in dresses. They are just so easy to throw on & go! I love mixing in Vintage pieces too.
Jade: I would say I am quite classic with a twist of either modern vintage, I love creating different looks and generally love anything that sparkles!
There SD: What are your creative backgrounds?
Jodie: I studied Fashion Design at the University of Westminster after Art School and have worked in Design, P.R, Sales, and now have two boutiques in Leaping Lotus, Solana Beach & Urban Barn, Escondido selling Vintage style gifts.
Jade: I started off working in a fashion boutique, assisting with the buying in Paris, London and Milan, i then moved on to working with a womens wear fashion designer in sales, PR, production, design and even a fit model! This is where Jodie and I first met. Then i moved to a Lifestyle events agency designing and producing fashion shows and events in London, paris, Milan and NYC, I continue to produce shows in NYC now.
There SD: What is your inspiration behind creating The Local Bazaar?
Jodie: We felt that there are amazing purely Hand Made markets in San Diego, and great Vintage markets where items should all be Mid-Century Modern, but no platform for Local boutiques to come together, and showcase their new collections mixed with local makers & vintage all under one roof. Another reason for the Bazaar is also that I love Christmas, and miss the Christmas markets where you can buy a bit of everything like the ones you find in Germany and England. There were no rules to curating the Bazaar. If it’s fabulous it has a place at The Local Bazaar.
There SD: Okay, those markets sound amazing, but that’s probably a story for another time. The vendors you guys are offering this year are really quite diverse; how did you go about deciding who you wanted to participate?
Jodie: Instagram played a huge part in searching for unusual boutiques, designers & makers. It literally is like a mobile portfolio & we spent days hunting to find amazing companies that we knew we would love to buy from. In fact we are worried about how much we are going to spend at the Bazaar as we simply love every vendor!
There SD: I’m not going to ask you to play favorites, but what are you looking forward to about this Holiday Bazaar in particular?
Jodie: We are looking forward to seeing the interaction between the vendors and buyers. We want it to be a bustling atmosphere filled with excitement & lots of smiles. I’m thrilled to see local artist Wandering Delilah hand painting cow skulls on the back of green army jackets. These pieces are one of a kind. A true collectors piece.
I also really look forward to seeing Loren from Four Things Paper, who will be hand writing & customizing Holiday ornaments with her gorgeous calligraphy.
Florals ℅ Seven Stems Floral Design
There SD: Okay, rapid fire question: Someone hands you $100 to spend on a gift for someone else at the Bazaar, but you have to have to decide an item right now-
Jodie: A holiday-themed skirt from The Oblong Box Shop.
Jade: A grooming set from Creations By Will for my husband.
There SD: Can’t argue with either of your purchases. This seems like such a great, family-friendly event. What can those with littles in their lives look forward to?
Jodie: Kerry’s Kreations will have a free “make & take” wooden log Holiday decoration, and the amazing Ashley Wagner will be singing Holiday classics by some of the greats like Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra live all day again.
There SD: Well, that’s adorable enough to justify with no kiddos. You two are obviously great examples of female entrepreneurship, and you both balance having families – what advice do you have to someone wanting to embark on their own entrepreneurial venture?
Jodie: Communication is key. Love what you do, and try to think about every detail even before it happens.
Jade: Just Get started! Research, know your market, start small, think big – give it a go and don’t be frightened to make mistakes.
There SD: Last question – where do you see for the Local Bazaar in the future?
Jodie: We look to working with the vendors all year long to build better relationships and help promote their brands. We are hosting our first ever Blogger’s Brunch at Moniker General – with the top local San Diego bloggers and influencers – to build brand awareness for our Bazaar and our vendors. We’ll be creating more opportunities like that throughout the year; we believe the amazing talent in San Diego deserves more visibility and we’d like to help.
We couldn’t agree more.
Grab your tickets for The Local Holiday Bazaar, happening December 3rd at The Corky McMillin Event Center at Liberty Station.
See you there!
