MILWAUKEE — The Market on the Riverwalk is back at Schlitz Park Thursday night, featuring 20 vendors — all connected to a Milwaukee-area nonprofit that has been helping small businesses launch and grow for decades.
The market runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and will feature a range of offerings, including flowers, handmade crafts and local food.
WWBIC — the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation — started in 1987 focused on women-owned businesses and now provides free resources to businesses of all kinds, including classes in accounting, financing, administration and pricing.
Watch: Market on the Riverwalk returns to Schlitz Park Thursday:
Lizeth Zorilla-Sanchez, co-owner of La Finca Cafe in St Francis, said WWBIC has been a partner since before her shop opened.
"We got our start with WWBIC back in 2017 when I was still planning and everything. They were there kind of designing the plan with me, telling me, you know, focus on this, make sure you have x percentage of this, and really they were the other hand that we needed to guide us through this process. So I'm really thankful to them. I'm really thankful for always being great partners and for offering opportunities to keep us going," Zorilla-Sanchez said.
La Finca Cafe will be at the market tonight serving an exclusive menu of drinks not available at the brick-and-mortar shop.
Zorilla-Sanchez said the variety of vendors at the market is what makes the event special.
"I think the way that we support our community is by providing and to have a collaboration of so many different vendors that have unique offerings, that have unique stories, and to put them all in one place, I think is beautiful. So come hear those stories, come enjoy their products, and it'll be good vibes," Zorilla-Sanchez said.
Also among tonight's vendors is Birrieria La Tia Juana, a family food truck co-owned by Karla Martinez specializing in recipes from Tijuana that has been operating for about 3 years.
Martinez said WWBIC's free classes made a significant difference when the business was getting started.
"When you start with a business, you don't know like how to start. Where can you go like to get information and free resources, and they help us a lot with that," Martinez said.
WWBIC helped the business with accounting, financing, administration, pricing and customer outreach, Martinez said.
The Market on the Riverwalk is tonight at Schlitz Park from 4 to 8 p.m.
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