A new maker and craft market in Marana has been creating quite a buzz around the Tucson area over the last few months.
The Happy Hive Market at Button Brew House in Marana launched last fall to boost community over competition for small businesses and help create a fun experience for local families.
“I had these pending ideas to create a local market,” said Madi Depiero, the founder of The Happy Hive Market. “I'm in the Marana, northwest side of town, and there's not always a lot to do and since becoming a mom, it's hard to do things with a toddler. And being outside is the biggest perk in Arizona. So, I met a couple of local friends and businesses through social media and they were always doing markets. ... So I was like, ‘Well, maybe I could do something on this side of town and create an experience for families while supporting local.’”
A vendor interacts with a market-goer at The Happy Hive Market at Button Brew House in Marana.
Since its start last fall, Depiero has hosted five curated markets with around 25 local vendors per event. Typically, you can find items like baked goods, tote bags, candles, earrings and other handcrafted products made by some of your favorite local makers (and a few newbies).
Plus, to make the markets more family-friendly, Depiero tries to include activities to keep the kiddos occupied such as a face painting station or a bouncy house.
“I do curate my markets and that's something that I do get a lot of feedback on,” she said. “I try to make it 100% fair for vendors who are going to spend their time and work on the products and bring them to a market. I'd hate for there to be three or four of the same (vendor) that do polymer clay earrings or glass cups or custom T-shirts.”
But even if a vendor applicant isn’t chosen for the upcoming market, Depiero keeps them on her list for the next market or the next market or the next market — you get the idea.
For her, The Happy Hive is more than just a place for a vendor to set up a table for a few hours on a Friday night. It’s a place to build friendships and community — a place to find your hive.
“I was trying to come up with a business name — something that would empower small businesses and these amazing individuals that I had met,” she said. “And so I kept thinking, like a beehive, there are so many people that are working together to make a vision come true.”
One of the vendors at a recent Happy Hive Market at the Button Brew House in Marana.
Whether the “bees” of The Happy Hive are just starting out or are established creators, Depiero believes it's important that everyone has the opportunity to find their passion.
Just take her own experience into account.
The Chandler native moved down to Tucson nearly 10 years ago to attend the University of Arizona, where she began studying speech pathology. But as she was about to finish up her studies, she no longer felt like her heart was in that field.
Instead, her heart was in the world of business. Currently, she’s finishing up her Master of Business Administration degree and using that experience to uplift makers in Southern Arizona.
“When I see all of these individuals with their small businesses, I love to be a part of that and support them,” Depiero said. “Because it was difficult trying to figure out what I wanted to do that made me happy. And finally, I've found my niche of what makes me happy, so to support them makes me even happier.”
Depiero
“And when you're supporting a small business, you're not just supporting someone's dream, but you're putting food on the table for their family and you're paying for someone's child's ballet classes, you're paying for a summer membership to the Elevate Trampoline Park because it's so hot outside,” she said. “And I feel like when we're supporting that, it's more than just the happy hive in the market. … And that’s how I wanted it to be and it's so far been really successful.”
The Happy Hive’s next market takes place 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 30 at Button Brew House, 6800 N. Camino Martin in Marana. (Button Brew House is hosting trivia that night, too!)
The event is the first night market that Depiero has held and it'll be the only Happy Hive Market this summer. After taking a quick break for the season, she plans to resume monthly markets in August until November.
A few of the vendors you can find at the upcoming night market include Harper & Honey, BakedXBoba, Cactus Wren Kids and Northmen Beard Company.
“I cannot wait to see the support for the night market,” she said. “I know summer is slow and that is one of the biggest grievances I get from small businesses, is that it's a hard summer for all of them. And if I can buffer and help them make some income and support them, then I've done my job.”
The next Happy Hive Market is on June 30 at Button Brew House.
In addition to The Happy Hive Market, Depiero hopes to eventually host a series of one-on-one classes to teach small-business owners practical business techniques such as how to run an Instagram or how to utilize Canva.
But more importantly, Depiero hopes to keep spreading her message of community over competition.
“I love working hard towards the (Happy Hive) goal and why not do it together? We're all supporting each other. We all want financial freedom, time freedom and that's what we're all working towards with our small businesses,” Depiero said. “And it takes a village, right? So come join the hive and we'll do it together.”
To find out more about The Happy Hive Market, check out their Instagram page.
