The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Clinton School to Host Marketplace Showcasing Delta Products on March 16

Posted on March 07, 2008 at 12:29 PM

Clinton School, First Lady Ginger Beebe to host marketplace showcasing Arkansas DeltaMade products

The Delta Grassroots Caucus commends the Clinton School of Public Service for hosting a great event to showcase Delta-made products Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. for retailers and individual shoppers interested in shopping and supporting local entrepreneurs. The event will feature a marketplace of products made in the Arkansas Delta region ranging from barbeque sauces, honeys and tea mixes to world-class pottery, scented soy candles, handmade quilts and many more.

We encourage partners of the Delta Grassroots Caucus to go to this event in Little Rock at the Clinton School of Public Service. For those in other states, you might want to consider holding a similar event at a university or other major institution in your area to promote the many unique products that our people in the Delta produce.

Below we include a statement from the Clinton School, and for more information contact Ben Beaumont, 501-683-5238; Wireless phone: 501-454-2779:

CLINTON SCHOOL STATEMENT ON ARKANSAS DELTAMADE INITIATIVE

LITTLE ROCK – Led by the work of three students, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe will co-host a marketplace of products made in the Arkansas Delta region ranging from barbeque sauces, honeys and tea mixes to world-class pottery, scented soy candles, handmade quilts and more.

Launched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Rural Heritage Development Initiative (RHDI), the Arkansas DeltaMade branding initiative brings together products and wares made in a region thick with culture and creativity. The market will open at the Clinton School on Sunday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. for retailers and individual shoppers interested in shopping and supporting local entrepreneurs.

“I’m thrilled to co-host this marketplace that will showcase these wonderful products made right here in Arkansas,” Mrs. Beebe said. “In my travels throughout the state as First Lady, I’ve met so many talented people whose small businesses make up Arkansas’s creative economy. This marketplace will showcase this creativity along with the unique culture and spirit of the Delta.”

Three Clinton School students – Sarah Argue of Little Rock, Julie West of Little Rock and Chance Williams of Denver, Co., – are working with Arkansas DeltaMade to provide marketing research, grassroots support and recruitment efforts to the program, among other tasks. The students organized the marketplace as a way to raise awareness and introduce the program to Central Arkansas.

“I want to encourage those individuals and retailers who regularly attend gift and merchandise markets in Dallas, Atlanta and New York to attend this specialty market at the Clinton School,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “On display will be some outstanding, unique and often undiscovered Arkansas products.”

The mission of Arkansas DeltaMade is to increase awareness of products and services unique to the Arkansas Delta while offering entrepreneurs access to markets and the opportunities to grow and expand their local businesses. Currently, Arkansas DeltaMade includes more than 30 locally-made arts, crafts, food products and wares in 17 official retail locations throughout the Arkansas Delta region. Click here for a complete list of Arkansas DeltaMade products.

Confirmed participants in the marketplace include:

Alan’s Honey, Osceola – honey

Andrews Honey, West Helena – honey

Bobbie’s Elite Latte, Tyronza – coffee and tea mixes

Cobblestone Studios, Lexa – artwork and photography

Dee Don’s Carvings, Tyronza – woodcarvings

Della Gourmet Rice, Blytheville – rice

Delta Jewelry, Helena – quilts and jewelry

E.B.’s Rubs and Marinades, Blytheville – spices, sauces and rubs

Ed Wade Studios, Marianna – watercolor paintings

Handwritten, West Memphis – stationary

Haute Pare, Helena – handmade children’s clothing

H.R. Williams, Trumann – books

J.B. Designs, Marion – woodcarvings

Johnson’s Studio, Helena – photography

Matilda &Karl Pfeiffer Museum, Piggott – jewelry

Miller’s Mud Mill, Dumas – pottery

Miss Priss Designs, Helena – children’s clothing

Mollie’s Originals, Helena – handbags and purses

Norwood Creech, Lepanto – painting and photography

Out of Africa, Marianna – jams, jellies and chutneys

Papa Jim’s, Inc., Forrest City – spices and sauces

Peace Bee Farm, Proctor – beeswax candles

River City Spices, Blytheville – spices and sauces

Secrets of the South, Gillett – dips, soups and cookbooks

Southern Soy Scents, Marion – candles

That One Sauce, Brinkley – barbeque sauce

Widner-Magers Farm, Blytheville – crafts

Woody’s BBQ, Waldenburg – barbeque sauces and rubs

The Arkansas DeltaMade program highlights the unique and distinctive products made in the Arkansas Delta. These products represent the rich heritage of the region and the entrepreneurial spirit of the Delta. In fact, local, small businesses in the 15 counties of the Arkansas Delta account for 87 percent of all businesses in the region and employ more than 20 percent of the workforce alone.

“While it’s important that we recruit agricultural and manufacturing jobs as part of Arkansas’s economic development mix, it’s also important that we help grow small businesses and preserve a way of life in Delta towns and communities,” Rutherford said.

The DeltaMade brand has appeal to a variety of markets – from individual consumers looking to support the local economy to tourists traveling through Arkansasto gift shop owners and food vendors throughout the region. Pairing the natural and cultural tourism opportunities in the Delta with these locally made products can have a significant economic impact for communities from Blytheville to Eudora.

Not only does the program brand and promote local products through regional and national marketing and advertising efforts, but the Arkansas DeltaMade program also provides its members access to the technical and educational services vital to a successful small business. Workshops and one-on-one technical assistance are available through a network of service providers operating in the region. For more information, visit www.arkansasdeltamade.com.