Small Business Saturday falls on November 28, 2026, and at the Union Square Holiday Market the day lands in the middle of a Brooklyn pastry maker’s week. Made in NYC is rotating six city businesses through a no-booth-fee residency, and Rose’s Pineapple Shorts holds the booth from November 27 to December 3.
Key Takeaways
- Made in NYC and Urbanspace are giving six member businesses seven-day residencies in a shared booth at the Union Square Holiday Market between November 12 and December 24.
- Vendors pay no booth fee. Instead, each pays Urbanspace 15 percent of net sales once its week ends.
- Rose’s Pineapple Shorts, which makes Taiwanese-American pineapple pastries in Brooklyn, runs the booth over Small Business Saturday weekend.
- The Union Square market opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and stays open until 9 p.m.
- The Columbus Circle Holiday Market opens December 1 for its 20th season, and the Herald Holiday Fair follows in early December.
Small Business Saturday Arrives Midway Through a Rotating Maker Booth
Small Business Saturday is the national shop-local day that the U.S. Small Business Administration has cosponsored since 2011. In New York, the November 28 date gives small brands a reason to court holiday shoppers on the weekend after Thanksgiving, when foot traffic in Manhattan’s markets builds.
At Union Square, one booth is built around that kind of exposure. Made in NYC, an initiative of the Pratt Center for Community Development supported by the New York City Council, is partnering with Urbanspace to rotate six member businesses through its booth at the Union Square Holiday Market. Urbanspace says the market brings together nearly 200 vendors selling gifts from local craftspeople, artists and entrepreneurs.
How the No-Booth-Fee Residency Works
The model is designed to lower the first hurdle for small makers: the upfront cost of a holiday stall. Made in NYC’s terms state that selected businesses pay no booth fee. After each seven-day residency ends, the vendor pays Urbanspace 15 percent of net sales. A non-refundable deposit secures a spot and is credited toward that 15 percent.
Participants must run sales through Square or Shopify so Urbanspace can collect its share. Members who use neither can get a free Square card reader from Made in NYC. Applications closed September 30, and Made in NYC selected businesses and assigned weeks by mid-October after a review process. Vendors arrive at 7 a.m. on their first day and staff the booth for every market hour that week.
For a one-person brand, a sales-share arrangement shifts risk away from a fixed fee paid before a single item sells. The program draws on Made in NYC’s membership of more than 1,500 companies across the five boroughs, part of the same small business community that turned out for this fall’s Small Business Expo at the Javits Center, which drew more than 13,000 registrants.
Rose’s Pineapple Shorts Holds the Booth on Small Business Saturday Weekend
Rose’s Pineapple Shorts takes over the Made in NYC booth from Friday, November 27, through Thursday, December 3. The business makes Taiwanese-American pineapple pastries, known in Mandarin as fèng lí sū, handmade fresh in small batches in Brooklyn. Its founder, Rose, grew up as a first-generation Taiwanese-American, and the company describes its flavors as drawing on that experience while nodding to the traditional pastry.
The timing places a food maker in the booth during one of the season’s busiest shopping weekends. The market is closed on Thanksgiving, so the residency opens the following morning and covers Small Business Saturday itself, when Union Square runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Six Makers Rotate Through the Booth Over Six Weeks
Made in NYC’s schedule moves through stationery, ceramics, food, bath goods and apparel:
- November 12 to 18: Silly Sketched Pets, hand-drawn stationery, art and live pet portraits
- November 19 to 25: Kettle & Kame Clay Studio, handmade pottery and ceramic jewelry
- November 27 to December 3: Rose’s Pineapple Shorts, Taiwanese-American pineapple pastries
- December 4 to 10: SloGlo, small-batch shower steamers, soaps and bath goods
- December 11 to 17: The Printing Block, block-printed apparel celebrating Black life and culture
- December 18 to 24: Oh So Nice Design Co., Risograph stationery and home goods
The Union Square Holiday Market is open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Made in NYC notes the market sits above what it describes as the city’s fourth busiest subway station.
Shopping Local Continues Through December
Small Business Saturday is one day, but Manhattan’s holiday market calendar stretches into the new year. Urbanspace also runs the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, open through January 3, alongside late-night skating at Bryant Park’s Winter Village during its 25th season.
Columbus Circle and Herald Square Open in Early December
The Columbus Circle Holiday Market opens December 1 and runs through December 31, marking its 20th anniversary with a new layout and a larger seating area facing the monument. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Vendor applications for the 2026 season are already closed.
The Herald Holiday Fair, run by Urbanspace with the 34th Street Partnership across Herald and Greeley Square parks, opens its market in early December and continues into early January. Shoppers working through Midtown can pair either market with a visit to the 76-foot Norway spruce that arrived at Rockefeller Center from upstate.
FAQs
When is Small Business Saturday 2026?
Small Business Saturday is Saturday, November 28, 2026, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The U.S. Small Business Administration has cosponsored the day since 2011.
Who is in the Made in NYC booth on Small Business Saturday?
Rose’s Pineapple Shorts, a Brooklyn maker of Taiwanese-American pineapple pastries, holds the booth from November 27 to December 3, 2026.
What does the Made in NYC booth cost vendors?
There is no booth fee. Selected vendors pay Urbanspace 15 percent of net sales after their seven-day residency, with a non-refundable deposit credited toward that amount.
When does the Union Square Holiday Market close?
The Union Square Holiday Market runs through December 24, 2026, and is closed on Thanksgiving.
