OCALA, Fla. — Pink‑and‑citrus decorations draped across the Ocala Downtown Market pavilion as pop music floated above rows of handmade jewelry, candles and freshly poured lemonade. Shoppers in sundresses and sneakers moved from booth to booth with drinks and shopping bags in hand, pausing for photos at a neon sign or queuing for a “dirty soda.” The vibe was somewhere between a bustling market and a block party, which is exactly what Girls Night Out, a monthly pop‑up that marries commerce and celebration, strives to be.
The mother‑and‑daughter team behind the event darted between vendors and visitors. Kelly Matthews, a former vendor turned event organizer, wore a GNO T‑shirt and a smile as she welcomed attendees to the market. Her daughter and business partner, Haley Matthews, did the same, stopping every few steps to hug a returning vendor or pose for a picture. The pair co‑owns GNO Events, the company that created Girls Night Out in 2023 to provide what Kelly calls “a place for female entrepreneurs to thrive.”
“We are just girls from West Virginia,” Kelly said later. “We moved here in late 2021 and started this in 2023. We’re super close …we’re in sync and we know we are supposed to be doing this together.”
Haley echoed the sentiment: “She is my best friend and my business partner … where I fail, she picks up and when she fails, I pick up.”
Together, they built Girls Night Out into one of Ocala’s signature monthly events. On this night — a pink‑lemonade‑themed market running from 6 to 9 p.m. June 6 —nearly 90 vendors sold products ranging from clothing and permanent jewelry to fairy hair and henna tattoos. Cocktails, mocktails and food trucks lined the edges of the pavilion, and DJ Rae Bae spun songs that encouraged spontaneous dance parties.
Born from vendor experience
The Matthewses did not set out to become event organizers, but they knew they were entrepreneurs. Before GNO Events, they sold hand‑crafted jewelry and taught mobile paint classes. Years of schlepping to pop‑up markets left them with both inspiration and frustration.
“We just wanted female entrepreneurs to have a space that’s affordable and accessible,” Kelly said. She and Haley knew that high booth fees and inconsistent promotion often kept small businesses from profiting at local markets, so they designed Girls Night Out to address those pain points and provide an accessible and welcoming space for female business owners.
Vendors pay $80 for a 10‑by‑10 space — a fee that covers event costs and allows GNO Events to continue their programming but remains low enough for start‑ups. The event offers three sponsorship tiers that cost more but include special placement and amplified social media shout‑outs.
The founders also work to avoid oversaturation. Applications open online for each market, and they limit the number of vendors in any category so that the dozen candle makers or four boutique clothing sellers are not competing against identical products.
“If you have 15 of the same type of vendor, the money’s dispersed among those 15 people,” Haley said, noting that a balanced mix helps “everybody be successful.”
Long‑time vendors get some preference, but new businesses are welcomed to keep the lineup fresh. On any given month, half the vendors are returning and half are new.
Interest in the market has surged. The first Girls Night Out, held early in 2023, filled the pavilion with about 65 vendors. The events now accommodate around 90 booths and attract roughly 2,000 to 3,000 shoppers each month.
The duo also insists that vendors cultivate a professional online presence. Haley, 27, argues that a social media footprint is non‑negotiable.
“A lot of people out here are trying to run businesses without social media. You’re not running a legitimate business in this time period without it,” she said.
That mindset dovetails with the event’s promotion strategy: Girls Night Out relies heavily on Facebook and Instagram advertising to attract both vendors and attendees. According to Kelly, they track “social media interaction” to gauge interest rather than counting heads at the door.
Their working relationship also influences how they measure success. Both women say the event is not judged by foot traffic alone; it is about whether vendors make money. “If our vendors are successful, then it’s been a good night because they are what keep us going,” Haley said.
Vendor voices
Behind a table of vintage purses, candles, soaps and more, Paivi Duke, owner of My Reloved Luxury, chatted with customers alongside her daughter, Laurel. Duke launched her business last year and found Girls Night Out via a social media search for retail markets.
“It seemed like the perfect fit,” she said. “It’s a great time to see all these women vendors.”
Duke appreciated that many shoppers were not rushing through a daytime market but taking their time on a Saturday night out with friends or significant others.
“They’re happy and just spending time together,” she said. “We do really well here.”
Working alongside her daughter strengthens both their business and their bond. Laurel helps with social media and keeps her mother attuned to trends popular among her friends. Duke urged aspiring entrepreneurs to take risks. “Go for it,” she said, adding that more women‑owned businesses should apply to the market.
A night out for the community
The attendees wandering between vendors reflected the event’s regional pull. Imanii Brinkley from Gainesville and Torriey Nichols from Williston heard about the event through a Facebook invitation. It was their first Girls Night Out, and they were surprised at the scale.
“It’s actually a festival,” Brinkley said, pointing to the crowd and the live DJ.
Nichols appreciated the energy of a market “in the evening” — a change from Saturday morning farmers markets. Both women said they felt empowered by being surrounded by women‑owned businesses.
“It’s good to know there’s actually powerful women who are brave enough to say they created an item and want to sell what they want to do,” Nichols said. When asked what advice they would give to aspiring entrepreneurs, she did not hesitate: “Just get up and do it.”
In another aisle, Darlin Ramirez, an Ocala resident, shared that a friend with a booth had invited her to her first Girls Night Out. She, too, found the event on Facebook.
“It’s amazing … women can do so much, and this just proves it,” Ramirez said.
She was impressed with how vendors transformed small tents into Instagram‑worthy mini‑boutiques, noting that she loved “how everyone just set it up, and it looks so pretty.” To women considering launching a business, Ramirez offered a similar message: “You can do it.”
Social media and expansion
The Matthewses credit social media with both their growth and the event’s community feel. That online engagement is also fueling expansion. Kelly said female business owners from other Florida cities regularly message them asking for a Girls Night Out in their town. The duo plans to launch another market by the end of 2026 and is scouting venues.
“There are women everywhere … people always looking for an opportunity to make money and expand their business or women looking for a safe, accepting space to go,” Haley said.
Girls Night Out’s success has prompted the Matthewses to go from sporadic events to a monthly schedule. The markets happen on the first or second Saturday of every month at the Ocala Downtown Market, with the next one scheduled for July 11. Each event is free for shoppers.
Haley believes the event’s bigger purpose is to normalize female ownership. She encourages entrepreneurs to distinguish themselves.
“There will always be people doing what you’re doing, but nobody’s doing it the way that you’re doing it,” she said. Her advice to aspiring founders is simple: “Keep going. Don’t give up.”
On that June night, as the sun dipped behind the pavilion and the last raffle prize was called, Kelly scanned the crowd. She saw smiling faces, empty drink cups, children wearing glittery fairy hair and vendors counting cash. After months of planning, the scene confirmed her hunch that she and her daughter were meant to be here.
“If our vendors are making money, then tonight is a success,” she said.
Judging by the overflow parking lot and the number of shopping bags, it was. Though the event's financial success was undeniable, it was the bonds forged within the community that truly defined its legacy and support of female entrepreneurship.