Ypsilanti entrepreneurs Gordon "Big" Dooley and Travis Willis have partnered again this holiday season to present the Show Love Saturdays (SLS) Pop Up Shop. The Saturday market returned at the end of November to Willis' business, Ypsilanti Marketing and Print Company, at 105 W. Michigan Ave. in Ypsi. Promotional materials say the market aims to provide a free, "intimate and unique shopping experience" as it did during its inaugural year in 2023.

"We were super excited to bring back Show Love Saturdays this year after it was so well received last year," says Dooley, who owns a clothing business called Husky Life. "Everyone that came to November’s pop-up was surprised at the amount of vendors in this small space, and it was great to see the amazement and satisfaction when they walked in and out the door."

While SLS will still highlight local businesses and nonprofits, Dooley says the market will scale back from weekly to monthly this year to keep the event sustainable. Another change this year, he says, is the addition of hourly giveaways of Husky Life merchandise as well as door prizes. 

The main difference in this year's SLS, according to Dooley, is in how he and Willis approached the marketing for the event. Alongside promoting the event on social media, Dooley says they decided to take an "old-fashioned" approach to advertising by handing out flyers and putting up road signs in early November in preparation for the first pop-up.

"I think the message is spreading for our neighboring communities like Detroit, Milan, and South Lyon to also come and support us in Ypsi, which is an amazing feeling," Dooley says. 

Dooley says connecting Ypsi residents with local businesses and nonprofits is the "entire goal of the project." He says including nonprofits and local resources alongside business owners allows attendees to leave with their "souls and their knowledge enriched" even if they don’t spend any money at the event.

"The nonprofits help to encourage folks to walk through the door even if you don’t necessarily have money to spend," Dooley says. "They blend in so well, and have enriched SLS to make it more community-oriented and not just about the money."

The next SLS pop-up event will take place on Dec. 21 from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. at Ypsilanti Marketing and Print Company. A third SLS pop-up is scheduled for January, with more details to come. For more information or to inquire about vending, contact Dooley and Willis at showlovepopupshop@gmail.com. 

"This is not your everyday pop-up," Dooley says. "Even if you don’t have money to spend, we want you to have an opportunity to connect with the vendors, an opportunity to learn something, and an opportunity to win something."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photo courtesy of Gordon "Big" Dooley.