Coatesville’s Pop Up & Shop markets have moved to a new location with new times.

Visitors can discover a wide selection of goods from emerging Coatesville entrepreneurs at the open-air markets, located at Third Avenue and Lincoln Highway and held Aug. 7 and 21 and Sept. 11 and 25 between 12-4 PM.

Among the many vendors who will be showcasing their products and services, Shannan Thomas was inspired to participate after attending “Business Skills for Success for the Entrepreneur,” a nine-week training series presented by The City of Coatesville and the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center. The series was created to support the growth and development of startups and early-stage companies in Coatesville.

She unveiled Coatesville Merch at the market, a line of purpose-driven t-shirts, hats, and tote bags that encourages city pride. A portion of Coatesville Merch proceeds is donated to local youth-service organizations, according to Thomas.

“Right now, I’m piloting the product line and would ultimately like to have a youth-led, brick-and-mortar storefront to showcase our products,” said Thomas. “The entrepreneurial workshop series helped me learn about merchandising, how to attract an audience, and create a clear mission and vision for my business.”

Dana Looker, who also attended the training series, created Looker Books and plans to develop a general-interest independent bookstore that encourages curiosity, creativity, and community building. “The networking, business skills lessons, and encouragement from seasoned and new-business-owner peers that I experienced at the workshops is invaluable,” she said.

“Building my business has been both terrifying and exhilarating. Some days are hard and overwhelming, but others are so rewarding. It takes a lot of effort to prepare for something like a pop-up event, but the conversation and interaction with fellow book lovers and community members makes it all worth it. The Coatesville community is so vibrant, and everyone is friendly and very curious about what’s new in their town. Everyone who visited my booth was excited to learn more about my business plans and wished me luck on my journey.”

Follow Looker Books and Dana’s journey on social media (@lookerbooks).

Launched in September 2020 to provide entrepreneurs the opportunity to take their new and emerging small businesses to the next level, Coatesville’s Pop Up & Shop markets are free and open to the public and feature vendors with custom clothing and jewelry, handmade gifts, delicious cuisine, haircare, organic beauty products, and more.