Mod Shop

Well you guys… we said goodbye. They said hello. ❤️

In July we announced that the time had come for us to say farewell. But also that we were excited to be talking with people we trust about the possibility of continuing to keep Mod Shop’s spirit and energy alive on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We’re excited to share Downtown Modesto Partnership and Modesto Downtown Improvement District’s announcement that they will be bringing Mod Shop back THIS YEAR! Which is wildly exciting.

Please connect to their social media pages to be kept in the loop. We’ll share here, too.

Big thanks to Stephanie, Liz, Sara, and Heidi for picking up the torch. We trust you to improve on what we started and thank you for the thoughtfulness and care you’ve demonstrated as we handover something that means so much to us. The future of this community is bright because of people like you.

Dearest Community,

Since 2015, it has been one of our great joys to bring you Mod Shop on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But the time has come for us to say farewell. Allow us to explain the details before we get to the explanation.

Mod Shop will no longer happen the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We (Kate, Ruhi, and Tricia) are keeping the name and brand. We hope to bring you pop-up events in the future. We’re just not sure yet what that looks like.

Just because Mod Shop isn’t happening the Saturday after Thanksgiving doesn’t mean nothing is happening. That day, Small Business Saturday, is full of activity and we encourage you to stay connected to our socials and other downtown and city entities for opportunities and events. And who knows, maybe you’ll see the spirit of Mod Shop is still present.

About this time of year, you’d be seeing Mod Shop applications come out, which is why we wanted to share our plans to step back at this time.

The explanation: This wasn’t an easy decision for us. We take great pride in what we’ve done these past many years. We value and care deeply for the friendships and relationships we’ve built with local makers, businesses, the City, and more. But we also know that change can be a beautiful thing - especially when it’s part of the natural evolution of life.

Our lives are different than they were 8 years ago. Downtown is different than it was 8 years ago. We’re all growing and changing and we believe that it’s our responsibility to dance with that change and not resist it.

The bottom line: we aren’t going anywhere. We just won’t be running around downtown Modesto the Saturday after Thanksgiving moving tables, hanging signs, and tapping off vendor spaces. We are excited to be talking with people we trust about the possibility of continuing to keep Mod Shop’s spirit and energy alive on that day, it just won’t be the three of us.

We anticipate bringing Mod Shop back in the form of Pop-ups throughout Modesto. But no plans have been solidified. We can only promise it’s not the last you’ve heard from us.

Many thanks for your years of support and generosity. See you around.