ROCHESTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — In downtown Rochester, one local marketplace is buzzing with creativity, community, and causes.
The building was built in the 1890s. One of the originals, by the way. It's got a specialty store called the Bizzy Buzz Artisanal Market.
Watch Faraz's report in the video player below
From handmade jewelry to vibrant paintings, every shelf here is bursting with colors and customization options. Pamela Walther calls herself the VIP owner of Bizzy Buzz, which opened in 2018.
"It's all local artists. We've got about 100 artists. It's all their product, so they are constantly bringing in new things every day," Walther said.
Besides having a platform to showcase products, vendors here also highlight their stories.
"Over here we've got from our blooming artists, these are all 18 and under kids, jewelry and roses made from recycled pop cans. And we've got all the 3D printed stuff. We've got all the superhero characters," Walther said.
There are also non-profit brands that give back to the community. Grace Serra-Boldman started Worthy Turtle back in 2023.
"We've given six scholarships. The profits that we make are all rolled back into the mission," Serra-Boldman said.
"One of the beauties of Worthy Turtle is that you have inspiring and uplifting messages, which is right here, I believe in you is one," I mentioned.
"I believe in you. Be the gift. I have, just keep going. It's possible. For the holidays, all I want for Christmas is more love for you, me, and every living thing," she replied.
For Grace, this is deeply personal.
"I have a daughter who has these kinds of disabilities. She has a hand that she kind of holds like this. And in OT, she would always call it my turtle hand. And I have to use my turtle hand. And this is-- and so we thought, that's really been like a metaphor for her. And this idea of worthiness, of course, belongs to all human beings. We're all worthy," Serra-Boldman said.
Just like Worthy Turtle, there are several other brands here on a similar mission, like The Workplace Program, a non-profit organization that employs persons with disabilities.
"So they make all these cards and they're super fun and super cute," Walther said. "Whenever you purchase one of these key chains, you're also helping dogs that have health issues."
I asked Walther what it means to vendors, to have a space like this.
"You know, there's not a lot of places for them to get their stuff out there to the general public," she replied.
"Pam, you own this entire building. You could have easily leased the space to a big store or whatever, but you chose not to. Instead, you opened Busy Buzz. Why?" I followed up with.
"Yeah, you're gonna make me cry," Walther said through tears. "It would be a lot easier to just rent it out, but I don't want to do that. I want this to be a place for the community. I want this to be a place for the artists. We've seen a lot of artist markets close down. We've seen a lot of the big-box stores close. You know, we've seen a lot of small businesses close. So I just hope that people, you know, come out and support their small businesses, because, you know, we need you guys."
If you would like to apply to be a vendor at Bizzy Buzz, you can do that at this link.
