All treats with no tricks –– The Spooky Vegan Pop-Up Market comes to town on Oct. 22 at the Ching Ter Maitreya Temple in Columbus.
Sponsored by the It’s All Natural market of Gahanna and Ching Ter Maitreya Temple of Columbus, the market will feature 16 vendors from across Ohio, including Sobremesa Street Kitchen, The Little Kitchen Food Truck and Momma Can Cook.
“We hold one market four times a year,” said Justin Overby, a store clerk at It’s All Natural. “The event highlights local vendors who showcase vegan products,
educate the public about veganism and provide money for local charities who share our ideals.”
Local vendors who produce all natural, plant based products will have array of foods, beauty supplies and household items that all support the vegan lifestyle.
Food vendors will range from doughnuts, cookies and other baked goods, to “delicious vegan meals with Asian, Ethiopian, Mexican and American inspirations,” Overby said.
For families, there will be trunk-or-treating –– trick-or-treating, except out of car trunks instead of houses –– for children, and in support of local charities, raffle prize drawings will be given out with all proceeds going towards the Sunrise Sanctuary in Marysville, Ohio, a nonprofit animal shelter.
As the market expands each season, the event has become more than just an opportunity for free giveaways. Joshua Hurwitz, a fourth-year in engineering, became a vegan after his first pop-up market experience last year.
“Originally I was only going to the market for free food with a friend,” he said. “But after I was there and I learned about veganism and [vegans’] lifestyle, I took away a whole new meaning about the foods I eat and the environment I live in. There were so much information and people willing to help me understand the culture, and what veganism is all about.”
Following this autumn’s market, the next vegan pop-up event will take place in December in celebration of the holiday season.
The Spooky Vegan Pop-Up Market will be held Sunday from from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.