Namyangju's 'Best Pick Day' gives small businesses a foothold in public spaces

Namyangju has been rolling out a range of initiatives to revitalize its local economy, and one program in particular is drawing attention: "Small Business Best Pick Day," a targeted effort to boost sales for small and micro businesses in the city.

The program grew out of a simple idea — give small business owners the chance to promote and sell their products inside public facilities such as city hall and community welfare centers, helping them reach customers beyond their usual neighborhood trading areas. By bringing purchase opportunities directly to government building visitors and staff, the city aims to translate foot traffic into real sales growth for participating vendors.

To run the program efficiently, Namyangju recruits and selects participating businesses through its official website, a city newsletter called "Namyangju in My Hands," and outreach to merchant associations.

The program requires no separate budget and is run entirely through the legwork of staff in the city's local economy division. By tapping city employees and building visitors as a built-in audience, it is expected to generate broad promotional exposure across a diverse customer base, help small businesses open new sales channels through public-private cooperation, and inject fresh energy into the local economy.

Namyangju has held four editions of the event so far: the first on March 30 in the first-floor lobby of the First Building main hall; the second on June 29 at the below-ground main entrance of the Pyeongnae Sports and Culture Center; the third on July 13 back in the first-floor lobby of the First Building main hall; and the fourth on Sept. 16 at the First Building plaza, themed as a "Chuseok Gift Fair."

Participating businesses are selected through an internal review panel that evaluates applicants on both qualitative and quantitative criteria, including alignment with the program's purpose, product suitability and originality, promotional potential, and compliance with relevant regulations as verified by supporting documents.

At the inaugural edition, the program was open to businesses across all industries. Ten vendors took part, and some items sold out before the event ended, contributing to a tangible boost in sales.

For the second edition, coffee shops and bakeries were excluded to protect existing tenants in the building and prevent complaints. Fourteen businesses participated, promoting and selling a wide range of products across the spacious interior of the Pyeongnae Sports and Culture Center.

The third edition returned to city hall, where 10 participating businesses worked to raise their profiles and spread the value of public-private cooperation.

The fourth edition was organized as a "Chuseok Gift Fair" to give residents a chance to find thoughtful holiday gifts. It drew a total of 39 booths — 13 from companies, 22 from small businesses, and four from city policy divisions including the tourism heritage, future education, Dasan lifelong learning, and local economy departments — and recorded combined sales of 26.09 million won ($19,600).

Namyangju Honorary Ambassador Eva Popiel joined the promotional activities at the event. Alongside the fair, Byeollae Bag Distribution Complex donated bags worth 10 million won to single-parent families and other recipients, while Cozy House Byeollae donated clothing worth 5 million won to social welfare organizations.

The fifth edition is planned for Oct. 29-30 at an open space inside the Dasan Station smart library, under the promotional name "Your Shop, Now at the Station."

Around four businesses will be selected to use the station space, creating a convenient meeting point between commuters and local small business owners to help expand their sales reach.

"We want to build a public-private cooperation model that gives local small businesses sales opportunities outside their own storefronts — without any additional budget," said Park Mi-gyeong, head of Namyangju's local economy division. "We plan to run 'Small Business Best Pick Day' by district through December."