Twice a year, entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to set up shop in a storefront on Main Street in Buffalo.

In partnership with the city and Buffalo Urban Development Corporation, applicants are selected for the Queen City Pop Up Shop. For this year's holiday edition, shoppers can find anything from beard and tattoo care to locally written and published books.

"We take a look at the uniqueness of their merchandise, their marketing plan, we like retailers who have a collaborative spirit because it is a shared space and we're just looking to maximize the opportunity at Queen City Pop Up, to really leverage it and help their businesses to grow," said Brandye Merriweather, BUDC Downtown Development's vice president.

Before the five businesses started their six-week holiday business venture inside the Market Arcade, they took part in an orientation that provided anything from website building to media training.

For Kim McWilson, owner of Blessings of the Bling, this training got her going on the right foot.

"It has definitely given me a lot of experience with the training they provide with the computer, marketing your business, doing media interviews, that type of thing, so it's been a really good opportunity for me," McWilson said.

Dylan Krajnik, owner of Bearded Buffalo, sold his products in barber shops before, but he says running the operation himself is a different experience. He hopes to continue it after the six weeks are up.

"Getting that exposure and experience and doing this myself, in my own storefront, has definitely been interesting and I learned a lot from it," Krajnik said.

Lashonda Bryant owns The Black Bohemian, a line of natural body products. She said sharing the space with other businesses has been a driving factor of Queen City Pop Up.

"Just sharing tips with one another, encouraging one another, there's nothing like being supported by entrepreneurs,” she said. “People that are entrepreneurs know how that is and it's refreshing to be around people like yourself and also they bring in different customers that you may not bring in so you really get a chance to meet different groups of people.”

For some businesses like City of Light Publishing that don't normally get to interact with customers, it's a new experience.

"Publishers typically don't have a retail space so that's why it's very fun for us to talk face to face with our readers," said Hannah Gordon, City of Light Publishing co-founder.

The Buffalo Women's Consortium is made up of multiple women that are able to show off their artwork in the shop. Co-Founder Holly Metzdoyle said they're excited to continue bringing different business owners in one space.

"Not only do we want to continue having a store front, we would like to provide workshops for people and seminars and educational opportunities as well as events throughout the year," Metzdoyle said.

Many graduates of the Queen City Pop Up have gone on to open their own storefronts, many right in the Market Arcade where they started.