Crafters unite for Riverbank sale

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This article was published 22/11/2021 (1413 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Riverbank Discovery Centre was abuzz Saturday with hundreds of Brandonites on the hunt for holiday gifts from local crafters.

Riverbank Discovery Centre facility manager Dawn Riddle said it was great to be back hosting the Brandon Riverbank Annual Christmas Craft Sale, after seeing the event cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health regulations.

“It’s been quite exciting — it’s great,” Riddle said. “I think people are just really ready to come back out.”

The non-profit found out in the late summer it would be able to host the event, and it was exciting diving into the deep end to bring Christmas cheer to the community, Riddle said.

The Discovery Centre was able to bring back several veteran crafters for the event, along with introducing new faces at the sale.

A total of 16 vendors in total saw more than 700 people visit the event, blowing away 2019’s previous guest numbers.

Weather is often the determining factor for how busy the sale is — terrible conditions can limit visits, Riddle said, while just the right amount of snow on the ground can get people in the festive mood and preparing for the holidays.

For the event, organizers decided to scan vaccine QR codes. Other craft sales were required to have proof of vaccination and speaking candidly, Riddle said, this led to positive feedback from guests indicating the action made them feel safer coming for a visit.

“It made people feel more reassured and more confident and more relaxed coming into an atmosphere where there are a lot of people,” Riddle said. “We want the people in the community to feel safe, but we also want our vendors to feel safe being here.”

The event marked an opportunity to reconnect with the community, and for some in attendance it was the first time they have been to the Riverbank Discovery Centre since the pandemic began.

Riddle hopes it will serve as an experience that will alleviate people’s anxiety when it comes to attending gatherings during COVID-19.

“People are just aching to be with other people,” Riddle said.

She added the event does double duty for the centre. It serves as a way for local artisans to sell their wares while serving as a fundraiser for the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

This year, crafters donated their creations to create three different raffle prizes for the centre.

Local vendor Tanya Baker was on hand for the market with her businesses Made in MB featuring sewing and decorative items and Prairie Pantry freeze-dried foods featuring ice cream, candies, fruits, vegetables and other treats.

Baker had a display of Christmas surprises including stockings, shirts and quilted table runners.

She had a fabulous experience participating in the Brandon Riverbank Annual Christmas Craft Sale for the first time and was pleased to see the community come out and support the event.

Baker organizes the Riverbank Farmers Market that runs during the summer, but this was the first indoor market she had attended.

“It’s been busier than I thought it was going to be,” Baker said. “It’s good for us.”

It has been challenging being a local vendor for the past two years because there have been limited, at best, opportunities to participate in Wheat City craft sales.

This adversity inspired the creation of the outdoor market because indoor opportunities were greatly limited.

It has been great to be participating in a Christmas craft sale and exciting to see people jumping back into the artisan scene to see how people will engage now that vaccinations are widespread and health measures have been eased in comparison to 2020.

“It’s been good. Everybody here is doing great,” Baker said. “It’s going well … it’s nice to be back.”

In a typical season, Baker would appear at around 10 Christmas craft markets. This year, that number has been halved and she will be at only five.

She has no expectations this season because of COVID, especially because the bigger markets they would attend have been cancelled during the pandemic.

“We’re doing smaller shows and hoping for the best,” Baker said. “We haven’t been disappointed yet. People are still turning out and supporting.”

She hopes to see people continue supporting local events because without community support many vendors will not be around come next season.

For now, Baker said, she is grateful to be back and being able to connect with the community. She will be at the Christmas at the Dome Craft sale next on Dec. 3 and 4.

“We’re all being as safe as we’re told we need to be,” Baker said. “This is good. The local businesses have been hit really hard, especially the handmade stuff. To get back out and get out there is good.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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