Saturday MRKT invites creatives, makers to vibe in a space with vintage grocery store feel
November 14, 2019 | Anna Turnbull
A crossroads for creative collisions is planned this weekend amid a celebration of street/pop culture, said Justin Ikerionwu.
What is Saturday MRKT?
Saturday MRKT is a concept that combines the world of creative experiences and creative knowledge to allow entrepreneurs, creatives, and young professionals to thrive in community. With the need to celebrate the vast and diverse culture, that is “street/pop culture,” Saturday MRKT is a pop-up exhibition and festival that brings the culture of By Design to the forefront.
“[We want to] bring together the different members of the creative and entrepreneur community and through … conversations and overall just a great vibe, they can interact and form future collaborations,” said Ikerionwu, organizer of the Nov. 16 Saturday MRKT at Union in the Crossroads Arts District.
It’s a cant-miss gather that blends artistic knowledge and entertainment, he added.
Click here for tickets to the 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Nov. 16 event.
“You can enjoy yourself, you can meet other creative people and you can see some interesting installations,” said Ikerionwu, who also is co-founder and editor-in-chief of By Design, a print and digital publication that focuses on enriching the lifestyles of creatives.
Saturday MRKT itself is an artistic presentation of sorts, he added.
“As soon as you walk in you will see a space set up to look like a vintage grocery store,” Ikerionwu said. “We always want Saturday MRKT to feel like it’s a place where you can get what you need [similar to a market] and take away something that will benefit you in the long run.”
A unique feature: “The Deli” where live interviews will take place with six creators that are in different fields and industries, he noted.
“We want guests to feel like they can not only learn through the experiences, get questions answered, but also interact with potential clients, customers or stakeholders to help their business move forward,” Ikerionwu said. “I think that as you walk in the inspiration of all the people and the creative energy of the people in attendance … It will touch you. I’m really excited to see the reaction of the attendants.”
Click here to learn more about By Design magazine.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn

2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Looking for investors? A startup’s first ask shouldn’t be for money, leading VCs say
Most startup founders think of funding as transactional, Darcy Howe shared, but it’s actually relational. “You’ve got to have relationships with people long before they’ll fund and that includes angels and all the others,” the KCRise Fund founding managing director told a crowd gathered at UMKC’s Bloch Executive Hall for Startland News’ Kansas City Startups…
This meal is metal: Elephant Wings rocks concert of flavors with chef’s Indian fusion setlist
Ameet Malhotra’s just-released cover of Indian fusion is fuel to the fire of that which diners’ desire, the chef and owner of Elephant Wings said. Newly opened this month at Parlor KC in the Crossroads, two of the restaurant’s popular menu items include Malhotra’s tikka masala poutine and the Bombay-mi — his version of the…
NXTSTAGE taps trio of KC entrepreneurs to help their companies grow revenue, scale
WICHITA — Three Kansas City startup founders are among 20 early-stage companies selected for the latest NXTUS program aimed at boosting innovation from within urban and rural areas throughout the state of Kansas. Joining the 2024 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort: Joy Broils, Hustle & Ground, Shawnee; Mark Lukenbill, Mpruv Sports, Basehor; and Crystal Webster, Sharing…
Study with USDA researchers affirms startup’s AI-powered facial recognition for cows can detect sick animals
A collaborative study between an Overland Park animal agtech startup and the U.S. Department of Agriculture successfully corroborated MyAnIML’s predictive ability to proactively manage devastating disease outbreaks in cattle production, the company announced this week. MyAnIML uses first-of-its-kind, proprietary facial recognition and deep learning technology to analyze cow muzzles — accurately predicting Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis…
