Take one part pop-up marketplace, neighborhood social, and small business mixer and you'll get the first Lighthouse District Meet and Greet Open House. It was our first time doing this and we couldn't be happier at how well it went on February 26, 2026. Thank you to everyone from the New Monterey neighborhood and business community who came out to join us.

On the surface, our first Meet and Greet event might seem like just a good excuse for a party, but it was intended to be more than that. You see, it's no secret that we're facing some difficult and uncertain times. More than ever, community matters.

When people come together, culture is created. When culture is created, community is the byproduct and where there's a vibrant small business scene, there are more opportunities for both culture and community to take root.

Creating more connections is how we get through hard times and build out in the good ones. We only invited people who live or work in the New Monterey neighborhood to this event because it wasn't our intent for it to be just a party. As with many of our events as a district, it was about community and always has been.

Thank you to Michelle Robertson for photographing the event. You can see more of her work at michellerobertsonphotography.com.

Writer: Sheldon Chang (Not AI)