More than 75 vendors from the Chicago area — from candle makers and coffee shops to the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of American Writers — were at McCormick Place Tuesday to showcase the city's diverse economic and cultural offerings.
The four-day event, called “DemPalooza,” is free and open to the public through Thursday. It includes training sessions, panel discussions and other programming as part of the Democratic National Convention.
Small businesses were also present to sell their goods and promote their brands.
Sip & Savor gave away free samples of iced coffee from its pop-up cafe. The company operates five cafes in Chicago, including in Bronzeville, Hyde Park, and the South Loop.
“We’re more than just a coffee company. People love what we do,” said Therese Pugh III, owner and CEO of Sip & Savor. The company offers financial literacy classes, mental health services and works with the homeless, veterans and people with disabilities.
Devian West, a barista at Sip & Savor, sets up a display of free tea cups during the Democratic National Committee's “DemPalooza” at McCormick Place.
“A lot of people already knew us,” Pugh said. But being at DemPalooza gave him a chance to talk to people from Los Angeles, New York and Texas. Plus, there was excitement about being at the Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to become the first Black and South Asian woman to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
“The last time I felt that way was when Obama did it,” Pugh said. “It’s exciting.”
Tanya Evans displayed copies of her children's book, “The Purple Turtle,” along with toys and dolls, including one inspired by Harris. “This is history in the making. Just to be a part of this moment is so moving,” Evans said.
Angelique Chatman sells about 25 handmade scented candles, which cost between $15 and $30. Chatman started Anjoli Candle Co. in 2020 out of her Beverly home after being laid off from her accounting job. Since then, her business has grown. She also found a full-time accounting job, so she now has two jobs.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for us,” said Chatman, who showed off a Harris-inspired coconut-scented candle called “Chucks & Pearls.” “We’re able to get our products in front of people we wouldn’t otherwise be able to sell them to.”
“We feel the energy and excitement,” she said of the conference, as music blared through the exhibition hall.
Anjoli Candle Co.'s “Chucks and Pearls” candle is displayed at their booth inside McCormick Place.
In addition to shopping, DemPalooza participants can learn about popular organizing tools like the Reach mobile app and join polling briefings and skill-building workshops. These activities are part of the DNC’s efforts to organize and reach voters.
Thad Smith, founder and chief beekeeper of Westside Bee Boyz, harvests and sells bee products like honey at farmers markets and community events on the West Side. Smith brought live bees to the Democratic National Convention and cheerfully shared bee facts with anyone who stopped by his booth.
Asked how he got to the Democratic National Convention, Smith said he wasn't sure: “I think the universe loves me.” He received an email invitation that he believes came from an acquaintance he made at a local farmers market.
When she worked on Barack Obama’s campaign, the staff couldn’t keep up with the enthusiasm on the streets, said Alex Sims-Jones, a vendor show coordinator who owns the Chicago-based public relations firm APS & Associates. Vendors were making unofficial T-shirts faster than the team could print official merchandise.
“That's a sign of a good campaign — when you can't keep up with the community,” Jones said.
The companies participating in the exhibition are not limited to T-shirts, as most of them do not announce any kind of direct association or official political affiliation.
Smith said he is not political. “I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat,” he said. Smith said he ultimately accepted the invitation because of the exposure he and his business would get. “I’m a black beekeeper. There are people in this country who don’t even know we exist.”
Expect crowds.
Peter Gaona, owner of the reform school, at his booth during DemPalooza.
Designer Peter Gaona sold about 60 pins depicting Harris in bright pink and green for $16. The shades reflect the official colors of Harris's sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of a group of historically black sororities and fraternities known as the “Divine Nine.”
Jawna, owner of Reformed School, a decor and accessories company in Bronzeville, also offered greeting cards, T-shirts, jackets and pillows in striking silhouettes. The prospect of Harris becoming the first black female president is inspiring, Jawna said. “She’s telling girls and women to speak up, and maybe one day they’ll get in the ring too.”
Graphic designer Emmanuel Basley was busy printing T-shirts with Harris’s image for a long line of customers. Basley, owner of The Print Lounge in Pilsen, has sold about 100 of the shirts, at $25 each, and expects Thursday to be “very busy.”
The fair, which began Monday, allowed people from across the country to see products made in Chicago.
Kathy Jensen, 71, drove eight hours from Nebraska to Chicago to attend the convention. The retired teacher from a rural town of 740 said attending the Democratic National Convention was “so powerful and so wonderful. I don’t feel depressed like I used to.”
Nebraska Reps. Lacey Merica (left) and Kathy Jensen spent Tuesday browsing the booths at McCormick Place.
“I was excited as a younger adult to see the new generation step up and run for office,” said Lacey Merica, a delegate from Omaha, as she showed off the friendship bracelets that covered her wrists.
The exhibition included a space to make friendship bracelets, get a Kamala Harris-inspired manicure, listen to a podcast and watch performances.
DemPalooza will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through McCormick Place. The entrance is near 24th Street and Indiana Avenue. Some DemPalooza events require RSVP; the vendor fair is open without registration.
Contributing: Mike Davis of WBEZ
Ebony Anderson, owner of Nail Issuez Nail Spa, paints an attendee's nails with a DNC-inspired design at McCormick Place.
Gloria Goodwin, a representative from Jacksonville, North Carolina, poses for a photo with a doll for sale at the T2 Enterprises booth.
The '47 Presidential Glow Kit' is on sale during DemPalooza at McCormick Place.
Emmanuel Basley, owner of The Print Lounge, makes a Kamala Harris T-shirt for shoppers during DemPalooza.
