Marketplace New England Wins Small Business Prize

CONCORD, NH - Marketplace New England, Inc. of North Main Street in Concord has been selected a grand prize winner in Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs, a competition for small business to use technology to fuel growth, sponsored by Comcast Business, according to a press statement.

Three “start-up” businesses (operating for less than two years) were chosen from 15 regional winners, with Marketplace winning the Boston–Metro North Region in the first round of the competition and then, being selected as the grand-prize winner, the first national winner from the New England region in the competition’s history.

Marketplace New England was founded in 2015 by Laura Miller, formerly of Imagination Village and Gibson's Bookstore, to bring a new resource to the community that is committed to the “buy local” movement. In business only seven months, Marketplace has established "a unique one-stop shop for locally made gifts and artisanal specialty food and wine," according to Miller.

The store currently works with 185 New England vendors, 140 of which are from New Hampshire, with new artists joining the team every week. The Marketplace offers a permanent venue for craftspeople, as well as, a supportive community for emerging businesses. Millers said that is what makes Marketplace a little different; staff counsel artists with feedback on packaging, pricing, marketing and networking opportunities. The store also recently launched a website at marketplacenewengland.com, an ecommerce and informational site that showcases the entire store for purchase on-line.

“That’s what attracted us to this competition,” said Miller, president of Marketplace New England. "The value that technology offers to help us connect the artists we feature in the shop to our customers is tremendous. We are all about supporting the local economy and growing opportunities for the 'local' movement. People want to feel connected to the items they purchase, whether for their own home or a gift. We seek to offer that personal experience through technology. YouTube, blogs, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook can all be utilized to share information and build connections for a stronger community.”

In addition to a cash award, winners of the competition will travel to Comcast Headquarters in Philadelphia for the opportunity to meet with small business leaders. Many of last year’s experts, including Robert Irvine, celebrity chef and restaurateur, and Anita Campbell, founder and CEO of Small Business Trends, are returning to work with this year’s winners. In addition, there will be several new experts, including Chuck Sacco, MBA and Orly Zeewy, both of the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University.

“We could not be more pleased” said Miller. “We can’t wait to put these resources and everything we learn in Philadelphia to work improving the Concord community!”