It's the most wonderful time of the year for nearly 80 small businesses, as they make their mark in Westchester through the pop-up shop Make Your Market.

"It's so exhilarating," said Melissa Panszi-Riebe, the founder of Make Your Market. "I get so much energy, and I feel so proud of seeing everyone's things come together."

Once a social worker, Panszi-Riebe turned to being a full-time creator through her shop, A D'Zine, where she focuses on repurposing old pieces of jewelry. Not only did she want to use her social work skills to help her small business grow, but also to support other local makers.

" I like the feeling of the energy you have when something's handmade," she explained. "I wanted to create a space where you could come and get that feeling. So, behind everything here, there is a person, and there's a story and there's a dream. I wanted to create a platform where we could all come together and really have a very unique experience for shopping."

That platform eventually became Make Your Market, bringing a community of makers together. For the past four years, the shop has grown exponentially. What once started as a tiny pop-up of around 25 small businesses now features 79 makers from the New York City metro area. Many of them are from the Hudson Valley, including Irvington's Meredith Siegel, the owner of Mermade Brooklyn.

"I'm super grateful for the experience," Siegel said. "I'm very happy to have met [Panszi-Riebe]. She speaks about community and inclusivity, and we need stuff like that: connections and art and beauty and aesthetics. I think that's the best gift anyone could give anybody ... I got a whole bunch of new followers. I'm trying to catch up with all of that. So, that was actually great because I hit some milestones in my Instagram following, and for a small one-person [shop], I was like, 'Woo, victory!' So, that was really excellent."

Shoppers can also find products made by New Yorkers outside of the Hudson Valley. That includes Keeshagaye Whitter, who runs her clean skin care brand My Emollient out of Brooklyn.

" I met [Panszi-Riebe] at another market, and we just connected," Whitter said. "She told me, 'I think I'm going to do my own market.' Then, I saw it on social media, and I was like, 'I need to be a part of this. She has this cool energy...' This is [now] my fourth year... I am introduced to new communities because I live in Brooklyn, and I get repeat customers... Some of the customers from even last year still order with me throughout the year, and I always let them know that my products are here."

For Panszi-Riebe, she's grateful to be able to use her social work skills and make magic for not only makers, but also community members this holiday season.

"As a social worker, it's all about community and collaboration and advocacy, and I never thought I could apply it to a business like this," she explained. "To have almost this vessel or this platform that everyone can jump off of and be a part of makes me really proud. I never thought I would build something like this ... When people come in over and over again, I love to see that they're feeling welcome. They're feeling community. When people see a piece of art that's here, and they say, 'Oh my goodness, that spoke to me,' I feel [proud]."

Make Your Market is located at 79 Main St. in Irvington, and is open every day from Nov. 28 until Dec. 24. Hours are as follows:

A full list of the small businesses participating in this year's pop-up can be found here. Make Your Market also offers "pop-ups in the pop-up" on the weekends. More local businesses will come in and hold interactive events for shoppers. A schedule of Make Your Market's "Pop-up in a Pop-Up" can be found here.