Plenty of locals and those from out of town showed up to shop the Handmade in the 519 market at the Paris Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
All Canadian Events is a Paris-based family-owned and operated business that puts on the spring market yearly.
“Pre-COVID we did this event every year, but it used to be under the name March Madness so now we’ve changed that,” said Diana Ivany of All Canadian Events.
Handmade in the 519 features business owners and makers from the 519 area code in southern Ontario and gives them a chance to sell their wares and network with others.
One-hundred and five vendors were in attendance this year and featured items from baked goods, pickled veggies, hair accessories, size-inclusive clothing, jewelry, luxury skincare, leather goods, mini terrariums, pottery and more.
The Special Events building, and the Exhibition Centre were lined and filled with vendors and allowed customers to walk around, mingle and shop from local makers and artisans.
Despite the heavy rain, Ivany was pleased to see that there was still a great turnout throughout the event.
“Considering it was pouring rain today, it’s been steady all day and it was quite busy earlier,” said Ivany. “We appreciate that everyone came out even though they got a little bit soggy.”
For vendors who aren’t from the Brantford or County of Brant community, the market provides them an opportunity to meet new clientele and show off their products.
“I came to a new place here where no one has seen my product before,” said Mary-Jo Carter Dodd, owner of Inspired from Within. “So, I came for marketing in some ways to say, ‘this is who I am and this is what I do, ‘it’s showing up and branching out to network for me. I had lots of interest, lots of people checking out my art and lots of discussions.”
Becca Williams, owner of Top-Knotted was happy with the variety the market provides both vendors and shoppers alike.
“There is always such a variety, and the quality of vendors is amazing,” she said. “It’s so well organized and there’s always fun stuff to check out. It works great not just for the shoppers but the vendors as well – everything is set up the way we need it.”
As the event ended, vendors began packing up and shoppers could be seen leaving the venue with bags and baked goods in hand as they headed to their vehicles.
