Etsy’s cross-country, Made in Canada pop-up market will be happening in St. John’s on Saturday, September 24th at The Landing at Memorial University.

Etsy is an online marketplace with over a million independent sellers from all over the world, and more 32 million handmade and vintage items available at any given time.

For many people who are eager to begin a small business, Etsy is an affordable alternative to renting a physical location. An Etsy “store” is also a good way to start building interest in your products and the capital necessary to launch a successful small business.

The Etsy Made in Canada St. John’s pop-up market will give local craftspeople, artists, and vintage vendors who sell their wares through Etsy a chance to talk to their customers and showcase their products in person.

Over twenty local vendors will be represented at the Made in Canada market, with stalls selling a wide variety of wares including psychedelic tapestries, natural beauty products, and handmade furniture.

Krista Elliot, owner of St. John’s Soap Work, is excited to be participating for the second year in a row.

Elliot started making her own soaps using local plants almost twenty-five years ago and began selling soaps at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market five years ago. Today, she supplies forty-five stores across the island and a large chunk of her business is wholesale.

Elliot also offers classes through her company, about the health benefits of using soaps made from natural ingredients instead of using commercial soaps made from chemical and synthetic ingredients.

She says she has fun capturing the Newfoundland dialect and sense of humour in her packaging, hence the moisturizer called “Friggin Wicked Weather” and a natural insect repellent called “Shag Off.” The labels capture Elliot’s spunky, playful energy and are a perfect fit for bath products flavoured exclusively with Newfoundland plants.

Elliot feels a strong connection to Newfoundland and although her business has taken off within the province she enjoys maintaining an Etsy store because it allows her to sell products with a local touch to people all over the world.

“With Etsy you’re not just selling locally, you’re selling globally and that’s an amazing way to showcase what we can do here in Newfoundland and Labrador, to the rest of the world.”

For Elliot, the Etsy Made in Canada pop up market is a great opportunity to meet other local craftspeople and artists with small, independent businesses, and talk to other craftspeople in her community about their work.

For shoppers, the Made in Canada pop up market will be a fun way to get a sense of a community of creative, independent businesses operating in Newfoundland and Labrador.