Ampersand Creative Co.

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East Providence, RI
Ampersand Creative Co.

The minds behind The Good Trade Makers Market, RI VegFest, Little City Thrifty Vintage Market, and Bloom Flower & Home. Ampersand Creative Co.

is best known for their curated large scale community events, including The Good Trade Makers Market, Little City Thrifty Vintage Market, Bloom Flower and Home Market, and RI VegFest. Ampersand's series of events generate an estimated $2.5M in revenue for participating small businesses annually. In addition to these events, Ampersand is also a creative and communications team who thrives off of br

inging people together and supporting small businesses through design, PR, and grassroots marketing. From web and graphic design, to video and photography, to marketing and brand consulting, Ampersand Creative Co. strives to help brands look their Sunday best.

09/01/2026

GFree Fest, our big gluten-free food fest is BACK for the fourth straight year WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, RI on March 20th and 21st with two full days of eating, drinking, shopping, and learning all things gluten-free!⁠
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Founded by a local celiac, GFree Fest is a fun, positive-minded, weekend-long gluten-free party that showcases some of the best gluten free products, food, and beverages from all over North America.⁠
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VIP and 12pm Entry tickets are now on sale at gfreefest.com or the link in bio. Our limited VIP tickets allow you to enter the event starting at 11am, a whole hour early, for some extra elbow room before we open the doors to 12pm ticket holders AND you get a GFree Fest tote bag that’s stuffed with gluten-free goodies and deals. Tickets to this event have always sold out in advance, so be sure to snag yours while you can!⁠
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If you’re a maker of gluten-free food or beverage producer, maker, retailer, or non-profit, vendor applications for our 2027 event are now open. We’re looking for vendors who LOVE a party, but still take gluten allergies and sensitivities seriously! If you’re interested in partying with us and a few thousand gluten-free eaters, then we’d love for you to apply at gfreefest.com or the link in bio.

08/24/2026

We strive for our events to be welcoming for all, but we believe everyone always deserves to feel safe and supported, wherever they are.⁠
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This week, we’re donating 50% of all ticket sales from The Good Trade Makers Market and Little City Thrifty to two incredible organizations supporting refugee, migrant, and immigrant families throughout Rhode Island and Vermont.⁠
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Ticket sales from The Good Trade PVD and Little City Thrifty Vintage Market will benefit Refugee Dream Center, which empowers refugees as they build new lives and find connection and belonging.⁠
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Ticket sales from The Good Trade BTV will benefit Migrant Justice, which works for economic justice and to protect the human rights of migrants and immigrants.⁠
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When you purchase a ticket this week, you’ll support both independent small businesses and organizations doing vital work for families across our community.

08/12/2026

Little City Thrifty is coming up quick! We’ll be back WaterFire Arts Center on October 3rd and 4th. Get info, tickets, and smiles at littlecitythrifty.com!

07/22/2026

Our big annual holiday shopping shindig is back! On November 21st and 22nd, we’ll be bringing together nearly 100 of the best, kindest, and most positive-minded makers from all around the country for The Good Trade's 6th annual weekend-long community shopping experience at Providence, Rhode Island’s at WaterFire Arts Center.⁠
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Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door (if they don’t sell out!). As always, with entry you’ll receive a drink ticket to redeem for your choice of a small 5oz cocktail, beer, small hot coffee, non-alcoholic beverage, or ice cream from our sponsors. Want a full sized cocktail, mocktail, or beer? You can redeem your drink ticket for $2 off any full sized item from the Inside Voices bar.⁠
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Get hungry while you shop? We’ll also have two restaurants and a bakery popping up on site to to keep you fed while you meet our roomful of innovators, designers, and makers, play our famous Plinko for a Cause game, swap books at The Good Trade Book Trade, and so much more.⁠
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Tickets are on sale now at goodtrademakersmarket.com or the link in bio. This event has sold out in the past, so be sure to grab yours early!⁠
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🎨: Swamp Yankee

07/21/2026

LCT is back! Yep, is returning to WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, RI on October 3rd and 4th, 2026 with a boatload of pre-Y2K housewares, records, size-inclusive clothing, streetwear, art, jewelry, accessories, and more.⁠
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With over 90 booths from the kindest and most knowledgable vendors from Rhode Island and beyond, you’re sure to find something you love for every era, vibe, and price point.⁠
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With entry, you’ll receive a drink ticket good for a small 5oz beer or cocktail, a hot coffee from , or a non-alcoholic beverage, OR you can take $2 off any full-sized drink at the Inside Voices bar. We’ll have two pop-up restaurants and a bakery to keep you fueled for a full day of treasure hunting, too.⁠
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Early Buying Hour and 12pm Entry tickets are on sale now for each day at littlecitythrifty.com or the link in bio. Early Buying Hour tickets include a limited-edition LCT tote printed by Hungry Ghost Press. Get yours before they fly away!

07/16/2026

For the past few years, we’ve had the honor of helping produce RI Community Food Bank’s Empty Bowls event WaterFire Arts Center, and it’s truly one of the most meaningful nights of the year.

Guests enjoy incredible dishes from 30 of Rhode Island’s favorite restaurants, then head home with their choice of a one-of-a-kind handmade bowl, generously donated by talented local ceramic artists. Every bowl serves as a reminder of the event’s mission: helping ensure fewer bowls go empty in our community.

We just learned that this year’s Empty Bowls raised an incredible $227,000 for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. That’s an extraordinary impact, and we’re so grateful to play a role in making it happen.

This event takes months of planning and the support of countless chefs, artists, volunteers, sponsors, and staff. If you’ve never been, keep an eye out for Empty Bowls in 2027. Tickets typically go on sale early in the year - and they sell out quickly!

07/07/2026

Vendor applications for The Good Trade Makers Market closed on Friday, and we’re deep into our curation process for both the PVD and BTV markets. Now feels like the perfect time to reintroduce you to our 50/50 philosophy.

The Good Trade was built on the idea that makers grow by reaching new communities. That’s why our markets are split 50/50. Half of the businesses you’ll meet are local, and the other half are traveling in from all around the country.

This balance gives makers a chance to showcase their city while welcoming new faces, and it gives shoppers the opportunity to discover small businesses they may never have found otherwise while still supporting their hometown favorites. Today’s hosts become tomorrow’s guests. A good trade, if you will.

Our favorite part (and our proudest moment!) is watching vendors from different cities build friendships, collaborate, and continue supporting one another long after the markets end. We believe in community over competition. We all grow together.

Now that you’re up to s***f on what 50/50 means, you can take the rage bait and argue with us about what the right ratio for an Arnold Palmer really is.

06/04/2026

Rhode Island's big vegan bash is back for a 7th year! RI VegFest returns to WaterFire Arts Center in Providence on February 6th and 7th for two plant-powered days of eating, partying, and shopping with tons of vegan restaurants, food and beverage producers, artists, makers, retailers, authors, non-profits, and so much more.⁠
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VIP (Very Important Planteater) and 12pm Entry tickets for both days are on sale now at rivegfest.com or at the link in our bio. There are a very limited number of VIP tickets available and they include early entry to the event at 11am and a RI VegFest tote bag stuffed with all sorts of samples, freebies, and deals!⁠
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SELL OUT WARNING: This event typically sells out in advance, so we recommend grabbing your tickets early to make sure you'll be able to come to the plant-based party!⁠ Get yours at rivegfest.com.⁠
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VEG VENDORS: If you're a positive-minded vegan or vegan-friendly restaurant, pop-up, food producer, maker, retailer, or non-profit, we'd love to hear from you. To learn more about vending with us and to apply for our fully vegan event, visit rivegfest.com/apply.

02/22/2026

WEATHER & TICKET UPDATE: As we’re sure you know by now, New England will start to show off its famous weather starting later Sunday evening into Monday morning. As RI VegFest ends at 5pm and weather isn’t expected to arrive until 7pm or later, the event will continue as planned. Here are some updates and things you should know:

🍅 For 2:30pm ticket holders, we’ve decided to open doors for you a little early starting at 2pm.
🍅 There are still 2:30pm tickets available at rivegfest.com, but all other entry times are sold out.
🍅 The venue has plenty of free off-street private parking and they are committed to keeping walkways clear and salted.
🍅 Remember, you’re welcome to arrive at any time after your purchased entry time! For those with VIP tickets, your VIP Swag Bags will be waiting for you whenever you arrive.
🍅 Our vendors will be restocked and ready to see you!

Winter here is rarely without its challenges, but the event ends at 5pm, and it’s a great place to stock up on tasty food for the storm. We’re New Englanders, so we’ve got this. We had such a blast today and we, and all of our vendors, sincerely can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

01/31/2026

A HUGE congrats to our best bud and Event Manager, Brent and his band .pvd on releasing their new record today! We’ll be headed to their matinee release party .rhodeisland at 2pm. The album is incredible and if you haven’t seen them live before, today is your lucky day! See you THERE.

Address

134 Waterman Ave
East Providence, RI
02914

Website

https://www.ampersandcreativeco.com/

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