The Freetail Brewing Company hosted a Valentine’s Vendor Market on Feb 1. This event was coordinated by Carolyn Martinez, the owner of the business Skycrafters. San Antonio is known for events like this, which give small businesses the opportunity to get their product out into the world. The items in this particular event ranged from handmade glass marbles and knitted stuffed animals to candles and handmade earrings.

Supporting local businesses within the community is vital to keeping them afloat and giving them an outlet to express their forms of art. San Antonio is a welcoming city for small businesses as well as start-ups, and often holds farmers’ markets, events at the Pearl Brewery and fan-fest events where artists can show and sell what they’re passionate about. Even with all this accessibility, self start-ups are difficult to manage, especially because of big companies like Amazon that disperse bulk items and sell them at a lower price. This forces smaller businesses to raise their prices in order to compete in the same market.

One of the best and worst things about these small businesses is how specialized they are. For example, Betsy Rodriguez’s collection of handmade recyclable trinkets are so specialized that only a select few people would be interested in purchasing them. While specialization can be a bad thing, it can also be extremely essential and welcoming to those who look for the handmade accessories that Betsy Rodriguez has to offer, or love the artful and quirky prints that can be found at Carolyn Martinez’s Skycrafter booth.

The diversity is grand and the competition is large, but these small businesses still find a way to express their passion through the items they sell.

Another handmade crafts market will be taking place on Feb. 13 at the Brick at Blue Star Art Complex from 6 p.m. -11 p.m.