Who's vending at the All About Downtown Street Fair?
If you're looking for something to do this September before the summer ends, mark your calendars for the All About Downtown Street Fair in Jersey City!
The All About Downtown Street Fair, set for Saturday, Sept. 21 from 12 pm noon to 8 pm, is a hugely popular annual event that features over 200 vendors with everything from vintage clothes and hand-poured candles to gyros and arepas. Last year, a whopping 40,000 people made their way to the festival to enjoy the market, kids activities and outdoor beer gardens featuring local cuisine. The fair stretches several blocks down the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza in Downtown Jersey City, accessible via the Grove Street PATH Station.
This year, Thinking In Full Color is making its All About Downtown debut. Check out what we'll be offering and learn more about other woman-owned businesses that will be featured at the festival.
empowering women of color through education and the arts
owned by Summer Dawn Reyes
While most locals know Thinking In Full Color for its annual theater show, In Full Color, featuring stories by women of color from all around the country, TIFC also collaborates with artists and writers of color to create books, stickers, clothing and other cool swag!
We'll be debuting our new Malala Yousafzai "One Girl Revolution" pins designed by Nala Wu at this year's fair!
It'll also be the perfect opportunity to snag our "Put Women in Power" tank tops and our coloring book for kids of color, "Girls Who Colored Outside the Lines." The bestseller features portraits by local artists Vanessa Velez, Hiyasmine Queen Gaskins and Nerissa Tutiven or groundbreaking women like Holly Woodlawn, Angela Davis and Katherine Johnson.
All proceeds help TIFC create more arts and education programming to empower women of color in Jersey City and beyond. Last year, TIFC won the Jersey City Arts Council Award in Performing Arts! Learn more about us here.
Can't make the street fair? Shop on our website now!
new american & mexican comfort food, creative cocktails | 140 Newark Ave.
owned by Jelynne Jardiniano
LITM (which stands for "love is the message") is one of our fave hangout spots! It's played host to several TIFC readings, classes, open mics and even our first fundraiser, Bloom, in 2018. The restaurant and bar was one of the first trendy spots on Restaurant Row, opening 15 years ago before the neighborhood saw major change. It's also an art gallery and features new exhibits every first Tuesday of the month!
They'll be on the Pedestrian Plaza all day serving up delicious fried variations of menu favorites, including their famous award-winning mac and cheese. Come in to the restaurant itself when they open at 5 pm for respite from the sun and refreshing cocktails! They have one of the best Happy Hours in town with $5 beers, $6 wine and mixed drinks plus $7 martinis!
handmade hair accessories
family-owned, woman-founded
Luna's Bowtique is a family effort, with mom, dad and kids gathering in the living room for hours, stitching away to create gorgeous bows in every color, size and pattern. Design range from patriotic prints you can wear while rooting for your favorite sports teams to unicorn horns and simple, pretty adornments for your little one's hair.
The bowtique has a wide selection of goods available on Etsy, but is also a regular at local fairs. Catch them when they come by Jersey City for All About Downtown!
henna, art & artisan crafts
Local artist Swati Rastogi may be best known to Pedestrian Plaza-goers as the woman behind the colorful sidewalk squiggles, hearts and messages of love that decorate the bright green road during Jersey City's Pride Month. But many others also know her for her creative henna designs. Swati makes original designs for every client's temporary tattoo and makes sure each person knows how to take care of their body art to enjoy it for a full 5 to 7 days! She also makes various goods with henna-inspired artwork including candles, coasters, wine bags and more.
reconstructed vintage and denim
co-owned by desiree godsell
Hill and Velez is a collaboration between Ronald Upperman and Desiree Godsell that features reconstructed vintage goods, including some real dope denim jackets! The pair do custom work but also have original pieces featuring Afro-inspired prints and that pay tribute to black icons like Prince, Janet Jackson and Sade.
Music's strong influence on their work is no surprise when you take into account Desiree's career as a dancer and choreographer. The Houston-born artist has toured with Santigold, opening for musicians like MIA, Rihanna and Jay-Z. She's best known for her work fusing Latin and modern dance styles.
lash and brow studio | 297 Grove St.
owned by Yolanda Torres
The eyes are the windows to the soul -- and you always want them looking their best! Cosmetologist Yolanda Torres helps her clients look and feel their best with custom eyelash extensions designed to enhance each woman's natural beauty. She also offers services such as lash and brow tints as well as airbrush makeup. After seven years of styling women in her her basement, Yolanda finally took a leap of faith and opened her own studio Downtown. Now, you'll get to see her work her magic in person at the fair!
handcrafted gemstone jewelry
Jewelry making was introduced to Loella Medina's family almost by chance. Her father, a civil engineer, stumbled upon an abandoned toolbox at a construction site still stocked with beads, pliers, and everything you'd need to make beautiful jewelry.
With help from some instructional books, he taught himself how to use all the items in the box. He took to the art quickly and shipped his creations to Loella and her mother in the Dominican Republic, where she sold them at her beauty salon to make extra money to support the family. Later on, the family reunited in New York and Loella's father passed the toolbox -- and his new craft -- to his creative young daughter.
Today, Loella creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces inspired by her heritage, travels and life in New York.
MEET THESE VENDORS AND MORE AT THE FAIR!
The All About Downtown Street Fair will be on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 12 to 8 on the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza in Jersey City. See more information here.
