Etsy, the online marketplace for handcrafted goods, is setting up shop in the heart of downtown Chatham this Saturday.
Over 30 local artisians from in and around Chatham-Kent and Windsor will be selling their speciality items in the flesh, for the third annual Etsy: Made in Canada event.
Event Coordinator Moréna McDonald says they've amassed a diverse mix of crafters and collectors.
"I have a lot of vendors that sell custom jewelry, kids accessories and clothing," says McDonald. "There's going to be a vendor who sells jams and jellies that she makes herself. There's also going to be a popcorn vendor, and several other handmade vendors as well."
McDonald says the shopping event has helped cement Chatham as a hub of sorts for workmanship in the region.
"Chatham-Kent is one of the only marketplaces for Etsy: Made in Canada in southwestern Ontario. We started out as the first one," she says. "Then last year Sarnia joined on and now we have London. But Windsor hasn't joined on yet, so I've accepted vendors from Windsor as well."
McDonald says many of their returning vendors can attest to the economic benefits of the buy local movement.
"One vendor, her name is Amy Roesch Dodman from Mrs. D’s, she's the jams and jellies vendor," she says. "She has seen three-times the success over the past two events that she's been at, and she's a relatively new vendor as well."
The vendors will be set up at King Street Commons from 10am until 4pm.