The Davis Collective: Bringing small businesses together

By Megan Gleason | m.gleason@mycityjournals.com

In recent years Utah has bloomed with innovation and new exciting attractions. It’s a time where just about anything is accessible at the push of a button. However, in this age of convenience, it is often challenging for small businesses to keep up with the market. Utah has long been a place full of wonderful craftsmen and artisans, small business owners striving to maintain the charm and character of their hometowns.

One such business owner, Tayler Swensen, has created an opportunity and space for small businesses to shine. The Davis Collective is a pop-up community that hosts events throughout Davis County. Created at the end of 2020, the Davis Collective held its first official pop-up event Jan. 4, 2021 and has been bringing together unique and interesting small business owners ever since.

“Being an independent business owner can be really lonely at times,” Swensen said about why she decided to create the Davis Collective. “So, I wanted to create a space where small businesses can not only find a great customer base, but also make friends with like-minded small business owners.”

Pop-up events are usually one day, a few hours long, and hosted within a temporary retail or community space. Each pop-up event hosts 15 independent vendors for customers to browse through. These vendors typically include artists, craftsmen, jewelry makers, home goods, and children’s items. For each event, Swensen carefully selects vendors so that there will be a wide variety of categories for shoppers to browse through. The ever-changing list of vendors and limited roster makes not only every event special but also allows individual businesses the chance to shine without heavy competition.

“The goal of Davis County Collective is to help small businesses get that face-to-face interaction with their customers and with other small business owners,” Swenson said. “In this time of online shops, you miss out on that in-person interaction with your customers and this gives us all an opportunity to join together and help each other grow!”

It is important to feature local business owners, she said. “When people buy from these small businesses, they’re supporting actual people and their dreams and passions, rather than throwing money at a huge corporation that’s already successful.”

In 2023, the Davis Collective plans to continue bringing together small businesses with their first pop-up of the year being a Valentine’s Day themed event on Feb. 4 at the Vibe Dance studio in Layton. The pop-up will feature vendors with handmade treats, a soda bar, and a selection of gifts perfect for the upcoming holiday. l