what is the non-profit aspect of mala market?

mala market is a registered 501c3 with a mission to support sustainable movements all across the greater Houston area. there are many layers to sustainability and mala market aims to provide solutions towards more conscience consumer behavior. by hosting local small businesses in one collective space, the community can always shop local and handmade.

the three main ways we create intentional consumer decisions:

• education through practice - by shopping local and small batch, you are practicing more sustainable and conscience consumer patterns. mala market aims to educate the community on the significance of shopping local by hosting regular talks and discussion by experts in the field of environmental sustainability.

• small business support - we create a collective space that remains affordable and accessible for the small business owners that decide to join the family. small business owners can use the facilities as a place to launch into their next business goals. mala market offers the security of a storefront so small businesses don’t have to take on financial and physical responsibilities that come with owning a brick and mortar.

• interactive community events - mala market plans to fill the calendar year with interactive events for the community to find out more about their local makers and more ways they can practice supporting local in their every day lives.

by shopping with intention and purpose, we can reduce the “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” mentality that surrounds our society. when shopping small batch and handmade, we help reduce the negative impact our consumerism has on our environment.

why is shopping local important?

shopping with our local makers means supporting the social wealth and the economic health of your community. supporting local goes deeper into the supply and demand aspect of our economy. by supporting the makers of your region, we can reduce our demand for easily disposable items. we are able to shift our consumer practices to more intentional purchases. mala market aims to provide the community with long-term solutions to have accessibility to handmade goods produced by local makers.

what does the name mala market mean?

the mala beads are a tool used during self-meditation practices to help you connect to your deepest intentions, identity, and worth. we chose to use the mala as a tool to connect the community together with intention.

how do you determine where your donations will go each year?

throughout the year, the mala family works together to find a direct source in which the non-profit can donate to. we aim to work with small organizations within Houston that prioritize sustainable actions towards preserving our environment.

how do you apply to be a vendor?

check out our application page here!

how did mala market start?

the concept behind mala market started 2 years ago and organically found its way into fruition. Founder and Director, Somya Gupta, had serious concerns with the over consumption that surrounds our society. she very quickly realized that supporting her local makers and shopping small batch, brought a very intentional layer to her own consumer behavior. she launched mala market as an effort to provide the community with accessible solutions to always shop local and handmade in one collective space.