Thunder Bay Crafters' Markets

I’m on the stage because they invited me to provide background music for the event. And this gives us the opportunity to introduce the hundreds of customers to our radio station at our primary promotional time of year: Christmas.

I took some time to mill about and ask a few craft-makers about their wares. Here they are:

Betty Makela has been making wool mittens for four years. She is especially proud of her wares because they are an up-cycled product, using 60%+ wool sweaters from local thrift stores. First, she washes them to shrink them, making them extra thick for warmth. Then she makes some mittens out of it, featuring the unique style of each sweater, and making sure that each pair is unique. Finally she lines it with new fleece. Betty’s personal favourites are the blue ones, especially those that are 100% wool and extra thick. People can find her wares outside of market time on Facebook as “Warm Woolen Mittens by Bema”. They can also email her at dutchgirlbettyf66@gmail.com, especially if they have a favourite wool sweater that is special to them but no longer fits for some reason.

Betty Eady was looking for something to do in retirement and discovered fudge-making this past July. She is loving it – perhaps too much, she says. I asked which one is her favourite, and she said that’s like picking her favourite child, showing how much she has become attached to her work. But if she had to pick one, it would be Turtle Delight, which has sold out. The other flavour she says that customers prefer is Cookie Dough. You can find her sweets online at www.rockitchocolate.ca.

Samantha O'Keefe-Janes just started making her product this year as well – candles. She has always loved candles but could rarely enjoy them because she is allergic to a lot of artificial smells. And then she discovered that pure wax candles could be given natural scents by mixing in dried flowers. She now purchases a variety of decorative glass containers and fills them with wax, dried flowers, and wicks. And once someone burns down the candle, it can be refilled! She especially loves those with rose petals, and personally prefers the glass containers with stubby legs. Customers always buy up the ones with lids first. You can find her candles as “Thrifted Wick” on Facebook and Instagram.

Purchasing from our local crafters supports the local economy with low-waste products that have true down-to-earth quality and huge personality. Watch for more on our calendar!