* thanks to Urbanspace, Avalanche, and Woof

Urbanspace has been hosting its iconic markets several times a year for over 50 years (since 1972).

Every New Yorker has walked through them hundreds of times, and thousands of tourists come from all over the world to shop from local vendors, spend time with family and friends, and feel the spirit of the coming Christmas season (the market we’re talking about takes place from November 14 through December 12 at Union Square).

But this year, Urbanspace decided to add a little more magic. To make it happen, they teamed up with Avalanche.

As a result, starting November 14, 8 million New Yorkers and city visitors were brought into blazing-fast USDC transactions on Avalanche.

But let’s start from the beginning.

Solution (by Woof)

So, Urbanspace Markets, the legendary NYC street fair, decided to modernize its seasonal markets with digital payments and loyalty rewards.

Partnering with Avalanche and Circle, they turned to Woof to build a mobile web app that could turn every vendor booth into a crypto-ready checkout.

The challenge was ambitious. The app had to serve thousands of people in real time. It needed to be intuitive enough for anyone to use, secure enough to handle payments, and visually aligned with the familiar NYC street vibe. The timeline was also very tight.

* Fun fact: halfway through the build, we were asked to double the feature set in half the time.

** Spoiler: we delivered. And we still made it to the market on opening night.

The app itself

Now we invite you to take a look at a few frames from our app.

Sign in with your email, and the entire Urbanspace fair opens up at your fingertips. You can browse all participating markets, filter by multiple criteria, bookmark your favorite vendors, find their locations, and check available promotions and deals.

AND YES, you can pay with crypto. The highlight of our product. Payments in USDC on Avalanche.

Each user automatically receives a Circle wallet upon registration. You can deposit USDC directly or use an on-ramp from fiat.

The wallet interface feels familiar to anyone who has used mobile banking before. You can check your balance, view your transaction history, and keep track of all your purchases in one place.

The payment process is almost laughably simple. You find a vendor’s QR code at the booth, scan it, see the amount due, choose your tip, select your payment method (USDC or fiat on-ramp), and you’re done.

What’s next?

The Union Square Night Market proved one simple thing: crypto payments aren’t complicated. Crypto is ready for the masses.

Thousands of visitors used our app throughout the evening, and most of them said they’re not going back to cash anytime soon.

Here’s what we heard from our quick exit poll:

• No more freezing fingers pulling out bills every five minutes for another snack (remember, it’s November in New York).

• After a couple of cups of mulled wine, counting cash gets tricky anyway.

• A lot of people were just curious to see what stablecoins are all about, and they admitted it was way easier than they expected.

This project showed how blockchain can quietly power real-world experiences without making things harder for users.

For Woof, it was another reminder that Web3 isn’t an abstract tech, but a set of tools that make everyday moments feel more connected, more efficient, and a lot more fun.

So, are you coming to the next Urbanspace holiday market to try the app?