The third annual Brantford Christmas Craft Sale was held on Saturday, November 23, 2024 to showcase handmade gifts by local vendors.
Organized by Victoria Laurie, from Burford, the craft sale offered free admission and door prizes. It had 22 participating vendors, selling everything from quilts to jewellery to Christmas decorations and décor. Laurie said the vendors were mostly local, with the furthest vendor having come from an hour away from Brantford.
The sale was initially planned to take place in the Army, Navy, Air Force Club Unit 341 building on Colborne street in Mohawk Plaza. A fire at the plaza on October 8, 2024, which started in the former bowling alley next door, spread to the Army, Navy, Air Force Club and destroyed the clubhouse.
After the fire, Laurie said, the Brantford Air Force Club on Grey Street reached out, offering spaces for anyone who had previously booked at the Army, Navy, Air Force Club.
The craft sale is a chance for local vendors and small businesses, in particular, to share their products.
“It gets your product in people’s faces,” said Meghan Green, a vendor at Saturday’s sale. “They get to see, they get to touch, they get to feel, because sometimes just being online, there’s kind of that hindrance.”
Green is originally from Paris, and now lives in Brantford. She runs a small business called MG Studios, selling cards and lino prints.
She describes herself as “relatively new to the space,” having previously only sold her products to friends and family. After joining an online Facebook group for Ontario vendors, she decided to try selling to the public this Christmas.
Craft sales open the door for her getting to meet and engage with potential customers. “People start to know your name or your business, and it kind of develops that trust,” Green said.
She also finds it helpful to have the live feedback from craft sales, as she gets to hear comments from people browsing at her booth.
“Whether it’s positive or negative comments, that’s something that you don’t know… with a swipe past on a screen,” Green said.
But ultimately, Green said, “if you’re putting your heart into what you make, and you believe in what you’re making, there will be a customer for it.”
For any vendors who may be nervous to try selling, Green said, just remember that your small business “doesn’t have to turn big… it’s totally okay just taking it day by day, and moving slow, and being content with making connections with people.”
