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Shopping local just got easier in Regina.
After spending every weekend of December doing a Christmas market at Northgate Mall, the owners of Handmade Saskatchewan decided to move in permanently.
Co-owner Christine Euteneier said it was an easy decision.
“There’s a demand for buying local. Plus, it gives us an opportunity to help out our vendors who are part of Handmade Saskatchewan get their products known and their brand known,” she explained.
Euteneier added for smaller cities, like Regina, it’s more difficult for local vendors to get their products on the shelf.
“In bigger cities, like Toronto, there are lots of little stores like this that you can go and put your stuff in — but in Regina, there isn’t a lot of opportunity,” she said. “We felt like there was a need for it.”
Euteneier said, so far, the owners have accepted only around 50 of the 500 vendors involved in Handmade Saskatchewan to sell their wares in-store. For others and those on the waiting list, there are markets around the city they can join, she noted.
A custom wood burning portrait of two pets by Julia Dima captured in January 2018. (Folk and Fan Woodburning and Art/Facebook)
Julia Dima of Folk and Fan Woodburning and Art sells her creations in the new store. She says it’s nice to see locally made things accessible year-round in a shopping mall.
“To walk into a store where everything is produced in the province — often by people who I personally know — that, to me, is refreshing,” she said.
By having her art in-shop, Dima is looking forward to expanding her customer base.
“The nice thing about the store is that most of the customers we run into are folks who aren’t expecting to run into something handmade, and they get a really beautiful surprise,” she explained.
Dima emphasized people can feel good about supporting local.
“When you’re investing in your community, you’re investing in your neighbour,” she said. “You’re paying for me to put gas in my car, or to buy groceries or to take care of my family, and I do a little happy dance every time.”