Kelsey’s Coffee and Friends hosts Keep Going Market to combat city’s third space void
Keep Going NY started as a personal brand for the founders, printing the “Keep Going” slogan on various items. Once people started to catch on, it grew into the community market it is today. Courtesy of Bianca Indelicato
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“Keep going” began as a personal mantra for Bianca Indelicato. It’s grown into a recurring market where students and Syracuse locals shop, eat and listen to music under one roof in the plaza of the 505 on Walnut Apartments.
“I wanted to have a sort of melting pot where everyone can kind of come together and showcase their talent or their passion in one place,” Indelicato, a Syracuse University Class of 2022 alumna and DJ, said.
Keep Going Market brings together vintage clothing shops, food vendors, artists and DJs for the local Syracuse community to shop and enjoy. It’s hosted for the past two years, hosting 15 markets so far.
When Indelicato saw the lack of spaces in Syracuse where students and locals could come together outside of nightlife, she partnered with her friend Kelsey Ball. Ball owns Kelsey’s Coffee and Friends, the coffee shop on the ground level of the 505. The two aimed to create something new: a daytime market with music, clothes and food in one place.
As a former SU student, Indelicato saw a big divide between the university and Syracuse, she said. She wanted there to be a middle ground for Syracuse and student-run businesses that don’t have a platform to reach the local community.
That vision resonated with Ball. Indelicato and Ball met when Indelicato was a customer at what was then Peaks Coffee Company. From there, they formed a friendship and now a partnership. Ball hoped Keep Going Market would attract customers who wouldn’t typically come to the coffee shop.
“I thought it would be really cool to host something that I would want to go to as a member of the Syracuse community,” Ball said.
Before she started the markets, Indelicato created Keep Going NY, her brand that includes clothing and accessories. The saying came from Indelicato and her friend, who would repeat it to motivate each other to “keep going.” Indelicato started by creating shirts, tote bags, stickers and more with her slogan and then started to throw events representing the brand.
“The people around me knew the (motto) and they were starting to use it,” Indelicato said.
Kelsey Ball, the founder of Kelsey’s Coffee and Friends, opened her coffee shop as a welcoming space for everyone. She hopes to bring that same warmth to Bianca Indelicato’s Keep Going Market. Courtesy of Bianca Indelicato
As Indelicato’s events started to grow, she visited markets in the local area and thought to herself: “I feel like I can do this, if not I could do it better.” She brought the idea to Ball, who loved it. From there, they started to plan their first market.
Ball said sometimes, when a market is coming up, she warns her regulars to come at their own risk because of how busy the shop gets. Despite the crowds, she loves seeing so many people come through her door in a day.
The markets draw a wide range of vendors, from thrift collectors to bakeries. Rocco Leone, owner of Salt City Vintage, said he’s been thrifting for more than a decade but has never seen an event in Syracuse quite like Keep Going Market.
“The combination of the venue, marketing and community that (Indelicato) has created brings people together to create a diverse event,” Leone said. “That’s why it’s so effective.”
The market is a rare opportunity to meet customers face to face for food vendors like Megan Rydzak, the owner of Fatcat Baking. Without a storefront, Rydzak relies on wholesale and preorders. The market allows her to test new flavors and see reactions in real time. Her Pop-Tarts, cake squares and macarons sell out before the day is over.
The energy of the markets comes in no small part from the DJs who soundtrack the event. AJ Amalsitano, a Latin and house DJ, said playing at Keep Going Market offers a place to break into his craft.
“Getting that organic community is really hard, these markets offer people an opportunity to say ‘Hey, I’m here,’” Amalsitano said.
For Joe Chisari, owner of Mojo’s Miscellaneous and Indelicato’s cousin, the markets have been personal from the start. He’s participated in nearly every one since the beginning, selling vegan food through his pop-up.
Chisari called the market’s growth incredible. It has grown from a few dozen vendors to drawing over a hundred applicants, he said.
“To see these markets that my little cousin put on just get bigger and bigger, and to see her go from stressing over the details to running these like a pro. I’m so proud,” Chisari said.
Indelicato wants people to walk away from this market feeling inspired and hopes others will start businesses like her vendors have started.
But the growth hasn’t been without challenges. For Ball, it means pushing her small team at the coffee shop to work faster than ever. For vendors like Chisari, it means learning how to prepare enough food for crowds that sometimes sell him out within hours. Yet for all of them, the rewards outweigh the stress.
“At the end of the day, I just have such an overwhelming feeling of appreciation and gratitude,” Ball said.
