For the next few weeks, Sparwood’s Greenwood Mall is home base for an indoor mini-market, with the Creative Co-Op opening its doors in Mid-November.
“It is a space designed for creativity and for handmade or home-based vendors to come in and market their goods,” said organiser and vendor, Robin Hutchinson.
It’s the first year the Creative Co-Op has been in operation, and Hutchinson said it partly a result of uncertainty going into market season, and partly a desire to have an indoor, convenience space.
“We collectively decided we should look for something in order to have a space where we could set up and stay set up.”
The space, located in the eastern end of the mall, has nine full-time vendors, and additional rotating vendors through the weeks. It’s open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10-4 from Nov. 18 all the way up to Dec. 24 (with extended hours closer to Christmas).
On day four of opening (Nov. 25) Hutchinson said the response had been great so far.
“It has been quite amazing given that we’ve only been open for four days- all the vendors are very impressed with the amount of traffic they’ve had and the interest that’s been shown in the co-op.”
Local vendor, Susie Pond, who sells stained and etched glass artworks said that as a vendor it was nice being set up somewhere in the lead-up to Christmas.
“Its market season, and I like that it’s in the mall and there will be a lot of foot traffic.”
Pond said she’d enjoyed the market season so far, saying after 2020 it was a pleasure to be able to see customers face to face and have places to do business.
“I was at Baynes Lake market all summer, and it was nice to be back to something normal.”
While the Creative Co-Op was set up as a response to uncertainty about the market season, Hutchinson said that pending availability of space, she hoped they’d be able to set up again in coming years. The space has vendors from all through the Elk Valley, not just in Sparwood.
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scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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