The Explorer Hotel was bustling on April 20 with the sounds of vendors and buyers.
The Bring On Spring Pop Up Market drew a total 28 vendors and was a way to help local businesses and artists gain more public exposure, according to Lindsay Ransom, the event’s host and owner of Eh Five Tree Five, her own company.
She said the idea originated during the pandemic as a hobby.
“My husband and I started thinking of doing this during Covid because I was not busy,” she said. “I started making shower steamers and candles and then I created a business.”
As time passed, she struck a working group among artists and vendors in town, which led to the first market of in 2021.
Ransom believes that Yellowknife has a lot to offer, but many people in town don’t realize it it. That’s why she’s planning a regular market on the third Saturday of each month to promote local businesses.
She said the plan is to rotate vendors so people can have some variety every month.
Ransom is also looking for collaboration with more people as she currently handles all the communication and coordination herself.
Ethan MacKenzie, a red seal chef with nearly 30 years experience, was a first-time vendor at the market.
He said he’s looking to fill a gap in the local food market.
“I just wanted to try to find a product on the market that I can make in advance and is easy for people to take home while I can be creative at the same time,” he said.
MacKenzie discovered that people had a demand for pies and that’s what he sold at the market that day.