We had the good fortune of connecting with Max Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Prior to The MAKRS Society, I co-owned another event business in the area. The MAKRS Society started in 2020, with the idea to have an online marketplace for local vendors, but soon emerged into running pop-up markets. With the vision to bring bigger events to the city, we started our MAKRS Holiday Fest in 2021, which had 170 vendors and almost 10,000 attendees in 2024.

Since there were a lot of market companies in the area, we wanted to separate ourselves in this space, which led to our Underground Markets (Market and Concert series with Oak City Music), our Foodie Fares (Foodie and Arts Markets featuring a food truck rodeo), and our new Raleigh and Durham Nights (Night Market Series featuring vendors, a live DJ and performances from Dakota Fox Entertainment). We wanted to truly bring experiences to the community and think that’s what pop-up markets were lacking in the area.

We now run 7 monthly markets in the Triangle (63 monthly events in 2025) and 3 festivals.

What sets us apart and makes us successful is innovation and adapting to the times.

What should our readers know about your business?
Running a business is never a smooth road. There has been ups and downs along the way. We’ve spent time and money on events that almost bankrupted us and we’ve had some events that had few to little people show up.

We’ve had to make adjustments along the way because people change, the economy changes; so we have to adapt to that in order to continue to thrive.

I think we’re now at a point where we’ve built a strong community, but there will still be challenges along the way.

The balance of pushing boundaries, but not moving too fast as a small business can make or break a small business. You want to grow and adapt and try new things, but if you do too many of those too fast, it can bankrupt a business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think the advantage of living in this area is being in a city, while also having the beach and mountains within a 2 hour drive. While I’d take them to some of the good spots in Raleigh and Durham, like 5 star, Brewery Bhavana and others, I’d like to take the time with them to travel and make some time for the beach or mountains depending on the time of the year.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A lot of different books have gotten me to where I am now, but the biggest part has been the support of my friends and family. They have been with me every step of the way and my dad has been a big mentor in helping me to reach the level we’re currently at and continuing to grow.

Website: https://makrs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makrs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMakrsSociety/

Image Credits
Mad Cubbage
@madisoncubbageofficial

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