If you’ve been through Moline in the past year there’s a good chance you’ve gone past Marketplace at 2500. Run by Jasmine Lee with some help from her daughter, Kayla Sierra-Lee, the market is a place where vendors can gather to sell to the community.
It started about two years ago when Jasmine Lee had an idea that she began to bring to life. After a year of figuring things out with the Moline Zoning and Planning Commission, the first full year of the Marketplace began.
Lee Told Our Quad Cities News she had the idea for about a decade. “This land was connected to a bunch more land in the back, so it made it just unaffordable for somebody to kind of take that chance.” she said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she learned that the land had been separated and her chance to bring her idea to life had come.
“During COVID, everybody got so disconnected. We were all taught really not to talk to people or see people or go near people. Then with everything else going on in the world, I thought, what a great time to provide a space for people to come back together, because in this part of Moline especially, there really isn’t a park.” she added. “I like seeing people smiling. I like seeing people having a good time. I like people just taking a break from the monotony and remembering you live down the street.”
She says at the time the Marketplace began, the area didn’t have much for people to do outside. “I really wanted to provide a space where people could just reconnect, hang out and be outside. Let your kids run for a little bit, get a bite to eat, buy from some local people.”
She told Our Quad Cities news that community reaction has been great, even with little advertising. “We’ve had days where we’ve had 700 people out here in a day. We have some days where it’s 100 people out here. The nice thing about it is it’s fluid.”
That’s where her daughter Kayla was able to shine. “I have a Facebook page that Kayla does very well. So we’re going to look at more marketing because every day we have somebody come up to us that says, ‘What are you doing here?’ When did this get here? Can I come here? Does the city own it?’ So I really want to be able to get the word out to people that this is a great space for you to come enjoy a meal, hang out, do some shopping.”
Sierra-Lee had been helping with some of the business administration while she was a teacher. She took a break from teaching in May. That’s when her mom offered her a bigger role in the business. “Since then, it’s just kind of been full steam.” Sierra-Lee told Our Quad Cities.
Both say that working with each other wasn’t something that they ever expected. “If you would have told me that I was working with my daughter, we both would have said no, because we’re very different personalities. But what I found is the things that I really either don’t enjoy or lack just as a business, she is a very qualified for and does a very good job at it in a way that I just don’t even understand.” said Lee. “Growing up, if you had ever asked any of her kids if I would ever work for my mom, they’d be like, ‘You’re insane.'” said Sierra-Lee.
The unexpected duo have worked together to fill each others’ gaps.
Sierra-Lee runs the social media and helps with event planning. She also helps to bring vendors in. “She’s very good at implementing my ideas, I’m like ‘Hey, I’d like to do a Halloween event,'” says Lee. “Then she starts contacting the vendors and picking what we’re going to have here and letting me know, ‘Hey, can you order this, do this?’ And really being that bridge from my ideas to fruition of an actual event and the social media, which I absolutely love.”
Lee says all vendors are welcome: “If you’re a vendor, come join us out here. It’s really just about creating a positive experience in the community.”
Coffee and Dreams owner Joshua Lee is a frequent vendor at the marketplace. He told Our Quad Cities News the experience has been positive. “It’s been fantastic. Early on, we were pretty surprised because by the first time we came out here, no one had ever heard of us and we got just flooded like everyone wanted to try it and it’s built from there. It’s been incredible.”
He says having a location designated for small businesses and local vendors to set up has been very helpful. “It makes all the difference in the world. I mean, brick and mortar nowadays is very difficult to get started. Getting loans or even finding a location, it’s very difficult these days to be able to come out like this without huge cash investment up front. We couldn’t have done it otherwise.”
Currently the Marketplace features around 25 consistent vendors with another 25-50 who attend events. “You have the vendors that like going to the huge markets, so when they’re not at those, then they like to come out here because it’s just a little bit of a break from just 8 hours of insanity,” Lee said.
Those events, such as the Foster Fair and Peppers for Pets were a big hit with the community. Foster Fair was an event with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to teach people how to become a foster parent and support a foster-care system. Peppers for Pets raised money for Rescued, a local nonprofit that supports animal shelters and pets in need.
Marketplace at 2500 technically ends for the year on Oct. 31, but vendors still are welcome to set up during colder months. “Whatever vendors want to show up throughout the winter, I allow them to. I keep the place plowed and I will keep our Facebook page and website updated as to who’s coming out when.” said Lee.
Lee says Marketplace at 2500 is not done growing. Her end goal is to host more events and put a building in the back. She would like to have a kitchen for vendors to prepare food as well as indoor bathrooms. She told Our Quad Cities News this future is only possible thanks to the community.
“I am so thankful to the community and the vendors and everybody that’s really coming out here and supporting this vision because honestly, I was just a girl with an idea and bought a patch of grass,” she said. “I just thank everybody for giving me a shot at it.”
To learn more about Marketplace at 2500, visit its Facebook page here or the website here.