Their business is helping small business

A La Porte County entrepreneur has teamed up with a Valparaiso small business owner to start a new venture with a somewhat unusual business plan.The new business, known as The Collective, is the brainchild of Mandy Krickhahn, a Michigan City native now living in La Porte; and Gabrielle Pazour of Valparaiso."At it’s core, it is a community to support small business owners/entrepreneurs while giving back to the community," Krickhahn said. And in that vein, they will be hosting their first artisan market – "All of our vendors make or upcycle the products they are selling," Krickhahn said – on Saturday at the La Porte Civic Auditorium."With each market we do, we will also be facilitating a fundraiser for a non-profit organization," she said. "At our first event, we will be raising money for Lakeshore Paws, a dog rescue in Northwest Indiana."Several of the vendors will be donating 10 percent of their sales from the day, while The Collective will be donating 10 percent of entry fees.As another tasty enticement.