Affair Of The Heart Helping Small Businesses Recover From Pandemic

An Affair of the Heart returns to Tulsa this weekend, bringing with it more than 100 vendors and small businesses.

After a year of reduced capacity and smaller crowds, small business owners told News On 6 this event is big in helping them recover from the pandemic.

Taylor Strycker has a passion for handmade, polymer clay earrings.

"I found something that I really liked and this was polymer clay," said Strycker.

Her passion quickly turned into a way to make money two years ago, and now she owns a small business.

"I was actually a first grade teacher and I just quit this year and so I'm starting my business at home, full time for the first time," said Strycker.

Her business "Taenickole" is one of hundreds of small businesses at An Affair of the Heart in Tulsa this weekend. For the 26th year in a row, the show has given artists, small retailers, cooks and businesses a chance to sell their goods on a large scale.

"You might have a vendor from North Dakota right beside someone from Jenks or Edmond," said Kristin Ware, the show promoter.

Ware said this year is especially important for the small business owners who attend, many of which faced financial hardships during the pandemic.

"Now more than ever in this kind of, somewhat post pandemic time, we really want to support them with our dollars, help them feed their families, help them reach their customer base," said Ware.

As a new business owner herself, Strycker said she used 2020 as a way to promote her online presence through social media, and sold earrings out of her house.

She said being in person to a full crowd at this event will help not only her, but so many others as well.

"There's some people here that don't have social media where they aren't able to connect with me so being able to meet new people,” said Strycker. “We're able to reach a bigger audience."

Tickets are $10 and can be used for the next two days.

Doors open Saturday at 9 a.m.