If you're looking for uniquely Nevada gifts this holiday season, The Flag Store in Sparks is hosting their annual Made in Nevada Holiday Marketplace this Saturday.
"Basically we put half our store in our warehouse, bring in 18 different Made in Nevada member vendors, and they get to not only display but sell their products," said Marty Smith, one of the owners of The Flag Store, Sign & Banner. "A lot of sampling and sipping going on, a lot fun for them to showcase their products, and it gives them an opportunity they wouldn't normally have. So it makes us happy to do that but it also brings in people that wouldn't normally come to our store, so it's a win-win situation for everyone."
The Flag Store has been hosting the event every December for more than a decade.
"It's a labor of love," Smith said. "It's a lot of hard work but the people we work with through this organization, there just isn't any better. They're fun to work with, their products are wonderful, this is stuff you can't get anywhere else."
Last year more than 3,000 people came to the store to support these businesses. The Flag Store sells Made in Nevada products year round, from food and wine to soaps and lotions. This event is a chance to hear some of the stories behind these businesses, and maybe inspire new ones.
"Some people like to talk and figure out how things are made," Smith said. "We also have a group of people that come in, maybe they're making cookies in their house and think they're good enough to put on the market, so it's a chance for them to talk to people that have done this already, so perhaps next year they'll be a Made in Nevada organization and they'll be here sampling their wares."
He says supporting local businesses helps the community as a whole.
"I think it's very important because when you shop local, the money stays here," Smith said. "The tax dollars go into roads, schools and police protection which means when you shop small, it really does make a difference."
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This years Holiday Marketplace is Saturday, December 7th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Flag Store, Sign & Banner, 155 Glendale Avenue, Sparks.
