Marion Made Mini.
Overview.
Marion Made Mini, a weekly placemaking project, exists as an extension of Marion Made, and brings the community-building, creativity, and excitement of the fall event into the
summer months.
Background.
Marion Made launched in Summer 2018, motivated by the idea of cultivating community by sparking and encouraging creativity. The following year, Marion Made transformed into a Fashion Show and Market (60+ vendors), both of which were monumental successes. In Spring 2021, we had the idea to extend the mission of Marion Made into the summer and incorporate placemaking design in Marion’s downtown square. As we nurtured the idea, Marion Made Mini came to life.
Objectives.
COMMUNITY
Create space for community members to connect with each other downtown.
OPPORTUNITY
Inspire community members to notice opportunities throughout the downtown area.
PLACEMAKING
Activate outdoor spaces in Marion’s downtown square and encourage businesses
to come outside.
Process.
One of our first steps was connecting with Kate Luttrull, a local stay-at-home-mom who is skilled at baking beautiful pastries and cakes. After confirming Kate’s willingness to create baked goods for us, a plan to host Marion Made Mini every Friday morning quickly fell into place.
Before we began to market the event, we created a sub-brand for Marion Made Mini. The branding for Marion Made Mini is heavily inspired by the visual identity of Marion Made since the two events are not separate from each other, but still distinct. The Marion Made Mini brand incorporates colors inspired by spring and summer, in place of the fall-inspired colors from Marion Made in November 2019. The brand guidelines remained similar, as the social media posts mirrored those from 2019, with a colored overlay between an image and the visual mark.
Using placemaking design, we brainstormed ways we could create a café experience on our downtown corner. The space needed to feel established while still being temporary, consistently popping up each Friday morning. We also determined ways we could incorporate other downtown businesses and promote their work.
Kate Luttrull, our weekly baker, at Marion Made Mini
Results.
Beginning on May 14, 2021, we hosted Marion Made Mini on Friday mornings outside of our downtown space. Kate Luttrull brought a delicious assortment of baked goods, and we set up outdoor seating for customers to enjoy conversation, baked goods, and locally roasted coffee. We quickly found that people were not just coming for the food—they were coming to connect as well.
As we built connections with community members, we strengthened connections with nearby businesses, too. On a few Fridays, we were able to partner with downtown businesses such as Peerless Printing and Office Supplies and True Envy Boutique.
Kate Luttrull’s baked goods sold out nearly every Friday and we established relationships with our regular customers. We eagerly anticipated each Friday, excited to see our regulars, meet new customers, and sample Kate’s latest flavor combinations. While standing in line to purchase food during our last Friday event, one guest stated, “I’m going to miss Marion Made Mini. It’s become a part of our regular routine.”
Marion Made Mini quickly became a space where community members wanted to come and participate in Marion, proving that people will invest in the Marion community when they are given the opportunity.
