Arts & Culture | Business
Rock Street Market: A Fresh Market Series in Little Rock
The 4th market of local artists and vendors within the Downtown Little Rock district took place Saturday, July 23, and will work to activate the heartbeat of Little Rock for months to come.
Organizer and content creator Trenton Meeks, 23, founded and started Rock Street Market in January 2022 to connect with local artists and small business owners, network with his neighbors, and cultivate a kick-back experience for trade, exposure and visibility.
Artists lovers and community advocates can shop local and expect to eat, kick it and view a mini art gallery. The idea for this community event emerged from the optimistic entrepreneur to utilize his experience with his media marketing company, Chain Link Media Co., and his mission with his brand new nonprofit 444 Initiative, which seeks to solve food deserts, sell food, and collect data and perspectives from LR residents to advance their community and its state of growth. Meeks is optimistic and strives to see more ethical and sustainable practices within humanitarianism.
His hope is to not only provide more entertainment experiences in downtown Little Rock but to be given the resources to produce bigger neighborhood events that strengthen the community and aid local entrepreneurs, creatives, and small business owners.
Creating space …
Meeks shared that “Little Rock is a blank canvas right now, we have things that go on, we have people that do things, but we don’t have many things where everyone knows about.”
Originally from Chicago, Meeks has lived in Little Rock for six years, attended the University of Central Arkansas and has family ties from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Meeks’ mother worked in the Department of Human Services for over 15 years and his father worked in Corrections for more than 30 years.
Feeling sheltered growing up, Meeks mentioned with gratitude how his parents gave him the space to think and problem solve, teaching him practical skills at a young age. One of his goals is to help the youth advance in understanding their emotional intelligence, words and how actions have consequences.
By welcoming visual artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives with fresh ideas and initiative, Meeks is creating spaces for the youth and inspiring folks of all ages to get involved in their neighborhood.
Building with the community …
Some of the milestones Meeks hopes to reach are to have over 3,000 patrons visit, to expand the market to take over three streets, and to make Rock Street Market a staple event occurring monthly downtown.
So far, over 400 people have attended this community event. For the small business owners and vendors set to sell goods and services, he hopes to provide them with tools like marketing and branding materials to support them in legitimizing their businesses and to produce more experiences that expose these ventures to more consumers and potential clients.
Expect to see work and products from Astrosadri, CheEse Apparel, Contrary Seeds, CreativeConflict88, Lil Rox Jewelry, Heart Headed Co., Beam Organix, Choppin It Up With Ke, Mryn Creatives, Raw Boutique, 6unday Thrifts and more.
For those who live or visit downtown Little Rock looking for a fun block party and a get-together for the community to meet the people they live around, Rock Street Market is the place to be.