HARTFORD, Conn. — Hartford’s new holiday market, Winterfair, kicked off Friday evening as vacant storefronts along Pratt and Trumbull Streets will give a home to more than a hundred local businesses over the next several weeks.

“A lot of them have been creating amazing stuff for years but they haven’t had a brick and mortar location,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin told FOX61. “This is a chance to give them that opportunity to have that space to show off their goods.”

For the vendors, it’s also a chance to meet their customers face-to-face.

“I can hand out samples and see everybody’s facial expressions and it’s really nice to have a Hartford-made product, by me, a Hartford resident, getting it out to the community of people in Hartford. It’s really near and dear to my heart,” said Caitlin Greenbaum, creator of Firecracker #1 Hot Sauce.

Many vendors are hoping people will shop small this holiday season and support local businesses, especially since the pandemic impacted many businesses.

“With the way the economy is set up right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty. A way to bring certainty back into the market and back into the economy is by working with your local small businesses,” said Ian Fay, creator of Ovelle Coffee.