‘Think Local’ market at Fiddle Park in the works

June 10, 2021 · 0 Comments

Written By Jessica Laurenza

Think local, shop local.

In honour of everything local, the Dufferin Board of Trade (DBOT) is hosting a “Think Local” market at Shelburne’s Fiddle Park sometime this summer; the date is to be confirmed due to COVID restrictions.

The outdoor market will resemble a farmer’s market style event with various vendor booths around the park. Vendor items include macrame, soaps, blankets, meat and cheese, vegan meals, baked goods, reusable items and jewelry. All vendors will be 10 feet from one another in their own tents while visitors are able to walk from booth to booth.

“We have amazing markets in the Dufferin and Caledon area. Often times, they are overlooked because people find online shopping more convenient. But now more than ever, these businesses need our support,” explains Lisa Thompson, membership coordinator for DBOT.

Thompson is hoping to get all municipal regions in Headwaters and Dufferin involved in this event. Her hope for the Think Local market is that it will gain enough traction and support to divide it up into rows representing different regions within Dufferin. For example, Orangeville, Shelburne, Mulmur, Grand Valley or Mono would have their own row with vendors from that particular area.

Usually, DBOT hosts a “Think Local” showcase available only to DBOT members, which mainly promotes local food and restaurants but because of COVID, they weren’t able to have the showcase the past two years. The board received numerous suggestions that they should expand upon the showcase to include other industries thereby diversifying local businesses which is how the “Think Local” market was born.

Thompson is really looking forward to a successful turnout and hopes to make this into an annual event.

DBOT is still accepting vendors for the Think Local market. You can reach out to lisa@dufferinbot.ca to inquire about further steps for reserving a booth.

Local shops are always there for the community so the community needs to show up for them.