Business Support & Event Production at Creative Collective in Salem, MA
Real Business Support. Real Community Building.
Creative Collective delivers comprehensive business services—marketing promotion, technical assistance, business consulting, and advocacy at all levels—for Essex County entrepreneurs, creators, and innovators. We support the whole person, not just the business, through a collaborative community where members learn from each other, not just from us, because we know thriving businesses are built by thriving humans supporting each other.
Based in downtown Salem at 265 Essex Street, Suite 205, we also produce the North Shore’s most significant community events, including Salem’s iconic Haunted Happenings Marketplace (featuring over 200 artisan vendors) and co-organize the Salem Arts Festival. Founded in 2017, Creative Collective connects creativity, community, and commerce to build sustainable, equitable communities throughout Massachusetts’ North Shore.
What Creative Collective Offers
Comprehensive Business Support Services
We provide the real support creative entrepreneurs and small businesses need to thrive:
Marketing Promotion helps you get visible and get found—social media strategy, content creation, brand storytelling, and connecting you with audiences who value what you make. We leverage our 20,000+ follower platforms and Creative Collective Explores portal to amplify your work.
Technical Assistance covers the practical stuff—pricing strategies, financial planning, operational systems, wholesale opportunities, and navigating the business side of creative work so you can focus on what you do best.
Business Consulting addresses your real challenges—from “how do I scale?” to “am I charging enough?” to “should I hire help?” We bring modern, equity-focused approaches that acknowledge creative businesses don’t fit traditional molds.
Advocacy means having a voice where decisions get made—from municipal economic development to cultural policy. Founder John Andrews serves on Salem Public Art Commission, Essex County Community Foundation Creative County Initiative, and MASSCreative Leadership Council, ensuring creative professionals have a seat at the table.
Community Connection is where the magic happens—300+ members who share resources, refer customers, collaborate on projects, and support each other’s growth. You’re not figuring this out alone.
Events That Create Opportunities
We produce events that do more than entertain—they create economic opportunities for creative businesses and build vibrant communities:
Haunted Happenings Marketplace (October) is Salem’s largest artisan market, featuring over 200 carefully curated makers selling handcrafted goods across Derby Square, Salem Common, and the Old Town Hall Food Court. Weekends from late September through Halloween, tens of thousands of visitors shop directly from artists and makers—many of whom report October sales that sustain their businesses through slower months.
The Salem Arts Festival (June, co-produced with Salem Main Streets) attracts over 8,000 people to downtown Salem for three days of art, music, performance, and community engagement. We handle the logistics—vendor coordination, performance scheduling, community engagement—so artists can focus on creating and connecting with audiences.
Custom Event Production for municipalities, nonprofits, and businesses that need experienced producers who understand that successful events require attention to detail, strong community relationships, and creative problem-solving.
Holiday Happenings (co-organized with Salem Main Streets) brings our event expertise to Salem’s comprehensive holiday initiative—coordinating programming, supporting downtown businesses, and creating the cohesive seasonal experience Salem’s been asking for.
Join Our Community
Business Membership connects you with 300+ creative entrepreneurs who share resources, refer customers, and actually want to see each other succeed. You get promotional opportunities, priority vendor access to our markets, discounted consulting, and advocacy representation—but honestly, the real value is the community.
Vendor Opportunities at Haunted Happenings Marketplace, Salem Arts Festival, and year-round pop-up markets give you direct access to engaged customers in high-traffic locations. We curate carefully to ensure diverse offerings and quality experiences.
Municipal & Organizational Consulting for cities, towns, and nonprofits who want to leverage creativity for economic development—from public art projects to cultural district development, downtown revitalization to festival planning. We bring years of experience connecting artists, municipalities, and communities.
Contact: info@creativecollectivema.com
Contact Creative Collective
Address:
Creative Collective LLC
265 Essex Street, Suite 205
Salem, MA 01970Phone: (978) 224-8856
Email: info@creativecollectivema.com
Website: www.creativecollectivema.comCreative Collective (Our Business Program)
Instagram: @creativecollectivema
Facebook: @creativecollectivemaCreative Collective Explores (Our Lifestyle Platform)
Instagram: @creativecollectiveexplores
Facebook: @creativecollectiveexploresHaunted Happenings Marketplace (Our biggest project of the year!)
Instagram: @hauntedhappeningsmarket
Facebook: @hauntedhappeningsmarket
Creative Collective Explores: North Shore Cultural Platform
Creative Collective Explores (formerly Creative North Shore) is Essex County’s premier online portal for arts, culture, and creative businesses, featuring comprehensive event listings, a business directory, original content, interviews with local artists, photo essays, and multimedia storytelling that connects residents and visitors with regional creative experiences.
About Holiday Happenings Salem
Creative Collective is proud to co-organize Holiday Happenings, Salem’s first comprehensive holiday shopping and events platform, in partnership with Salem Main Streets. This initiative brings together local businesses, community events, and seasonal experiences under one strategic umbrella to help residents and visitors celebrate the holidays in historic downtown Salem.
Holiday Happenings is presented by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry and Witch City Walking Tours, with special thanks to our presenting sponsors who make this free community resource possible.
This initiative is co-organized by Creative Collective—Salem’s premier event production and marketing agency—and Salem Main Streets, a nonprofit dedicated to downtown revitalization. Together, we’re creating the cohesive holiday marketing platform that Salem’s business community has been requesting.
Holiday Happenings is produced in partnership with Destination Salem and the City of Salem, ensuring that locals and visitors alike can easily discover all that Salem has to offer during the most magical time of year.
Supporting local businesses and community celebrations in Salem, Massachusetts.
What We Believe
We connect creative professionals with economic opportunities through real business support, collaborative community, and advocacy. We champion equity and fair compensation for creative work. We believe thriving arts, culture, and creative sectors make communities better places to live, work, and visit—and that creative businesses deserve the same support structures as any other industry.
Related Salem Events & Creative Economy Resources
- Haunted Happenings Marketplace
- Salem Arts Festival
- Salem Main Streets
- Salem Chamber of Commerce
- Destination Salem
Creative Collective – Connecting creativity, community, and commerce on Massachusetts’ North Shore since 2017.
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