BOISE, Idaho — This Saturday, the public is invited out to the Military Business Market at the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse to shop local while supporting veterans and active duty service members.
This free event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market will have around 75 entrepreneurs giving veterans a chance to showcase their products and services to the community while giving people a chance to check out the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse.
WATCH: Check out the video to see the story behind If Penguins Could Fly.
"This is something unique. We don’t believe anybody in the nation does it, at least on this scale," said Alison Garrow of Mission 43. "It's quite the logistic effort from the back end, but it's something we are really proud to support and to offer as a free opportunity."
Mission 43 puts this event together with the help of a non-profit called the Veteran Entrepreneur Alliance. This marks the second year of the event, and this time around, it features nearly double the vendors.
It could also be a good opportunity to get a head start on your Christmas shopping.
"I love markets. I think they are great for this," said Garrow. "You find the most unique things at markets, and those are the best Christmas presents. Those are the presents that people say, 'Where did you get this?'”
One of the vendors we met included Savannah Lampe, who served in the Air Force and is currently in the National Guard. Her husband also serves at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Savannah wrote a children's book called "If Penguins Could Fly," with the help of her son.
"He looked at me and asked, 'What if penguins could fly?' I said, 'If they could, what would they do?'" said Lampe. "He started naming all these things that a penguin would do, like dunk a basketball or fly up and talk to God, and I was inspired. So, I'm an officially published children's author."
Lampe grew up in Boise, and she's not the only entrepreneur in the family. Her daughter was also setting up her booth, called "Accents by Annie." This military family is looking forward to Saturday.
"I love it. I am so thankful to Mission 43 for putting this on, and at this venue everything is just done so well, and to be able to connect with other veterans in this way is a blessing," Lampe said.
The Military Market will feature a variety of different products like food, art, beer, clothing, crafts and more. There will also be several service businesses including photography, barbers, exercise courses, hot rods, fence building businesses and much more.
