OUR ORIGIN STORY
TNL founder Marie-Juliette Bird launched the first iteration of THE NEW LOCAL in 2019. She enlisted a group of local women artists and creative entrepreneurs, signing a short-term lease in a defunct janitorial supply shop, in downtown Boulder, CO. The initial TNL roster was a broad swath of creative entrepreneurs; all female owned, exceptional, local artists, designers and makers.
The idea was simple: the women would share expenses, and each business would keep 100% of respective revenue. This was a radical idea because nobody was profiting off of anyone else. Instead of competing against one another, the women supported one another, leveraging individual social media muscle in order to create a competitive marketplace model together.
The group collectively earned 48k in six weeks
Not only was the venture profitable, it unintentionally filled a void: local women artists and entrepreneurs fostered a community of support for one another. Simultaneously, they cultivated a hub of art, beauty and creative commerce for the city while contributing to the local economy.
The original TNL pop-up closed on Dec. 24th, 2019. Soon thereafter, THE NEW LOCAL nonprofit was born, expanding the vision to include a dimension of service to the broader community, thereby infusing Boulder with innovative arts programming for EVERYONE.