Timed with the second last cruise ship arrival of the season, Rupertites are setting up an open air market to showcase to tourists and residents.
Regardless of weather, the Trading Coast Market will be held outside Hecate Strait Employment Development in Cow Bay on Saturday, Sept. 22. Vendors are selling food, artwork, and there will be some live entertainment.
Seabourn Sojourn arrives at 8 a.m. with 450 passengers, and they won’t be departing until 6 p.m.
Hecate Strait Employment Development Society, Ecotrust Canada’s North Coast Innovation Lab (NCIL) and Community Futures Pacific Northwest are taking advantage of the swell in population to see how well an open air market will fare.
“For the last year, I was having casual conversations on how to get a market on cruise ship days, but could not get the idea off the side of my desk. Then North Coast Innovation Lab came along with help to get innovative projects rolling. Community Futures PNW jumped on board too. We picked a Saturday and decided to go for it!” said Shauna Wouters, of Hecate Strait Employment Development, in the press release.
“This market is one way to create opportunities for some of our smallest entrepreneurs to benefit in our tourism economy.”
In the past, outdoor markets in Prince Rupert have struggled. In 2013, the Salmonberry Market attempted to become a weekly event on the Courthouse lawns, but due a lack of cruise ships it didn’t really take hold.
But this time around there are multiple organizations working together to experiment on how to develop a successful market.
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To prepare vendors for Saturday’s market, more than 60 people attended the Trading Coast Conference held on Sept. 11, which brought together small business experts, vendors and some of the city’s small business owners.
“The Trading Coast conference showed small entrepreneurs how to leave their competition behind, become Best-in-Show at the Trading Coast Market, and the many ways to grow their business beyond the market,” said John Farrell of Community Futures.
Attendees learned how to build market displays, set up social media to market products, Hecate Strait helped with designing a logo and they were offered advice on how to grow their business.
Frances Riley from The Argosy, spoke on how small businesses need to be innovative to succeed.
“If you have a 20 percent of your time side hustle, find four others. That’s 100 per cent. The old model of one-door, one business doesn’t work anymore,” said Frances Riley from The Argosy.
Richard Haley, of Haley Apparel and The Argosy, shared the story of his decades-long entrepreneurship experience. “Be willing to change and roll with whatever is coming your way.”
For example, he explained how The Argosy was an accidental business that started after some old furniture that came with the building was placed in the window while renovating and people wanted to buy it. Richard and Frances ran with the opportunity and even won a Small Business BC award in 2017.
All the partners, speakers, entertainers and vendors that attended the conference encourage residents to join their open air market Saturday, Sept. 22, to celebrate and support some of the city’s smallest and most creative businesses.
shannon.lough@thenorthernview.com
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