New community market in Gravenhurst aiming to provide outlet for local vendors
A group of entrepreneurs are the driving force behind a new community market in Gravenhurst.
Aptly called the Gravenhurst Community Market, Chantal Belcourt started the idea after she was unable to secure a spot in the already existing farmers market in the cottage country community.
"I put out a post on social media asking if there was a need within the community, and there was quite a bit of positive feedback in regards to it; vendors needing an outlet to sell their products," Belcourt says to CTV News.
The already-existing market runs on a weekday, so after polling those interested potential vendors, Belcourt realized there was a desire for it on the weekend.
"For those that work during the week, that work a Monday to Friday workweek, they are able to come out on a Sunday," says Belcourt. "It gives people something to do and look forward to."
There is a mixture of vendors available, with many artisans now having a proper outlet to display their products.
"This opportunity is just great because I know a lot of vendors can't get into the local farmers' markets; they are very full," says Brooke Morrow of Kigons Creations. "So this is just a great opportunity for smaller vendors, people who want to get their work out there in the community."
On day one, Gravenhurst mayor Paul Kelly was in attendance, voicing his support for the new initiative.
"Having this on a weekend because we have a lot of our seasonal residents coming up on weekends and also the tourism trade is certainly attracted to this kind of opportunity," says Kelly.
The market will run on Sundays at the Muskoka Drive-In from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.