More than 1,800 Bay Area community members visited the San Jose Women’s Club, a block from San Jose State, on Saturday and Sunday for a growth-minded event that featured a plethora of small businesses, vendors and artists.
The “We Go As Far As We Grow” event was put on by San Jose Made and the San Jose Women’s Club, a local organization that establishes spaces for retail, craft and small businesses to help grow their works and bring the community together, according to its website.
Kevin Biggers, San Jose Made member and event organizer, said the organization wanted to build on the event from 2021, and he thinks it did exactly that.
“We hadn’t seen a lot of the vendors in a while [because of the coronavirus pandemic] and so this was kind of our first big event,” Biggers said Sunday afternoon during the event. “We were going through a lot, I guess collectively, and we still are, but we’re going through it as a community. So we wanted to put this on while being more intentional.”
He said the event was mental health and growth focused in response to the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We Go As Far As We Grow” featured more than 40 vendors including makers and artists, who showcased their small businesses at the fair.
The event also included an original art show featuring hand-painted terra cotta planters.
Biggers said as opposed to free admission last year, there was a five-dollar entrance fee and 80% of those proceeds will be donated to nonprofits and groups.
