Daily Front Row

2012 November 12

Trade Show Report: Unique NYC Launches

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Unique
Photo courtesy Unique. View Gallery

(NEW YORK) Unique, the largest indie trade show in the country, is making its way to the Big Apple. The inaugural event, dubbed Unique NYC, is kicking off on Saturday, November 17, at Center 548. The goal? To bring modern, made-in-the-USA goods to the masses with the help of well-known and emerging designers in fashion, accessories, beauty, art, and home goods. "I believe in quality over quantity. I want to help New Yorkers discover great products that are being made right here in the USA," said founder Sonja Rasula, formerly an interior designer for HGTV’s Home to Go and TLC’s Trading Spaces. "This is not just about shopping, it’s a movement: meet your neighbors, discover great design, and strengthen your community and the US economy. Shopping at Unique NYC keeps jobs here at home, it helps small businesses grow, it allows designers to flourish.” 

Guests at the two-day design show can expect 100-plus exhibitors who produce exclusively in the U.S.A., from eco furniture maker Blake Avenue and clothing lines Arrowhead Clothing and The Academy to home décor and jewelry from artist Caroline Hurley and handbags from Marie Turnor. Plus, the event will house interactive booths all weekend where shoppers can whip up a screen printed tee in one corner or pamper their tresses at Braid Bar in another. Tickets are on sale now for $10, which includes admission for two days, freeflowing cocktails, a cotton tote bag, photo booth snapshots, an on-site message, and DIY crafting galore. Ten percent of all ticket sales will benefit World Up, a non-profit org dedicated to empowering youth through hip hop, education, and technology.

Unique launched in 2008, first in L.A. and then in San Francisco. Currently, the shows bring in more than 20,000 attendees, a crowd which collectively spends approximately $1.5 million during the trade show weekend.