If you want to support local makers then this market may be for you
With many markets taking place this holiday season, don’t miss out on the Holiday Jingle, which connects handmade products and local makers to people looking to support local with their gift giving.
Christina Barr and Tennille Frost have been the founders and coordinators for this event since it started in 2018.
“Our goal has always been to do strictly handmade markets,” said Barr.
“We’re creating a vibe. We want it to feel like Christmas magic when you walk in,” said Frost.
They start with holiday lights and a Christmas tree set up in the entrance to create the holiday atmosphere right from the beginning, and from there it continues.
“We always see people meeting up with each other there and giving hugs. It’s like a reunion atmosphere. It’s nice to have local handmade crafters and an old school market,” said Barr.
They say that vendors span a variety of categories, including sewing, bath and body, woodworking and more and that vendors are mostly from the Interlake, and there are a few people from Winnipeg, but that Manitoba-made is very important to them.
Barr and Frost explained that they started this market in 2018 because they wanted the cozy feel of a Christmas market, along with supporting local makers, as many other markets are available in our region, but many don’t have strictly local products.
“We wanted it to be like the Christmas craft sales that we went to when we were kids. I remember shopping with my mom, and we would always pick out a hand-painted ornament every Christmas. We just couldn’t find anything to shop at or to feature our own wares in that had that same atmosphere,” said Barr.
She explained that, in addition to being a way for local people to find local craftspeople, this market also benefits these makers.
“Some of the bigger markets, like Scattered Seeds(an annual market in Winnipeg) and ones like that, it’s really priced a lot of crafters out of their markets. So, we try to keep it reasonable. We never charge an admission fee, because we want shoppers to spend those hard-earned dollars on the crafters and their wares and support them. We do usually have a tin for the bin set up for the soup kitchen and the food bank, so people can bring a tin for the bin, but it’s not required for admittance. It’s free to shop,” said Barr.
Frost agreed, saying, “It’s an awesome opportunity for local people to support local makers. The Rec. Center is a nice big hall, so we are able to have 40 makers.”
In addition, Age Friendly will be running the canteen this year.
And on top of that, local gold medal-winning athlete Teagen Purvis has had her booth donated so that she can sell her art, a beautiful winter scene, on cards and gift tags. She is fundraising for her return to the Special Olympics. Purvis is not a stranger to representing Manitoba, as she created a new Canada Games record last summer while winning the the 50m freestyle swim. She also won gold in the 100m backstroke and 50m backstroke.
They say that they will have a little something for everyone, from kids’ stuff to baking and more.
The market takes place on Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Barr says that her favourite part is the atmosphere of the event.
“It’s always just a great kick off to the holiday season. Just having the lights and the atmosphere and everyone is so friendly and warm, it just really always feels like the beginning of Christmas to me,” she said.
They welcome people who are looking for gifts or looking to browse to stop by and check it out.
“We need to support our local crafters and entrepreneurs, because it seems like we’ve had one hit after the other with COVID, tariffs, and Canada Post constantly on strike, and so as much as we can support them, it would be great. All of the money that you spend with local entrepreneurs stays in our community. It’s not like supporting Amazon or Walmart, it’s all money that’s going to come back into our community and support local businesses,” said Barr.
If you just can’t get enough of supporting local and want to give our young people a chance to wow you, there’s also a market for young entrepreneurs at the Gaynor Family Library, which will take place on Dec. 13 between 1 and 4 p.m.
“It’s all handmade products, but it’s kids making it. So, it’s great to come and see what they’ve made and what their imagination can come up with and support them,” said Frost.
