Oshawa celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season with its yearly Bright and Merry Market in the downtown area.
The event on Nov. 14 started at Civic Square near city hall and wrapped up at Memorial Park on Simcoe Street South. There were fun activities for kids, along with 28 vendors lining the street, plus a stage set up for entertainers to energize the crowd ahead of the annual tree lighting.
Catherine Richards, senior manager for Special Events and Culture for the City of Oshawa, mentioned that there’s something enjoyable for everyone at the Bright and Merry Market.
“I think it’s such a lovely launch to the season, and whether you’re interested in learning about an artist, or wanting to just spend time with your family at one of our partner’s organizations or you’re here to see Santa and the countdown to the park being lit, there’s something special for everyone,” she said.
The highlight of the market was definitely the vendors selling various items-from clothing and art to handmade crafts and jewelry-at their booths along the street.
Kristina Petrie, owner of 3Dfordge. shop, offers sensory products and collectibles made by her team using 3D printing technology. This was her third time participating in this market.
Petrie noted that this market is a fantastic chance for small local businesses like hers.
“We are from Oshawa so it’s really good that we can come out, be in person and show what we have and promote where we’re selling in store and online,” she said.
The big tree at Memorial Park shines brightly with warm lights to spread holiday cheer across Oshawa. The tree lighting took place during the Bright and Merry Market in downtown Oshawa.
Petrie also has pop-up stores at Oshawa Centre, Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre, Upper Canada Mall, and in Toronto’s Beach area.
“We get a lot of people that recognize us already because we have a fairly recognizable brand so they come back or they say ‘oh I’ve seen you in the mall,’ so that’s really exciting,” she said.
For Petrie, seeing her customers happy is what matters most to her.
Richards explained that organizing this market each year involves a lot of effort and communication.
“We start very early in terms of making a call to vendors, so that is really the first step in terms of preparation of determining who wants to participate,” she said. “We have a committee meeting and we start to get those pieces early in the year to get going, in order to launch the festival here in November.”
The hard work paid off. Ormim Bari, who was representing Renewal by Andersen’s booth, described the atmosphere at the market as “great” while appreciating its community focus.
“I like how it’s very community centric,” he said. “I haven’t seen a lot of people outside of Durham Region so it’s quite refreshing compared to other events I’ve been at.”
Bari emphasized how vital events like these are for local small businesses:
“Come out and support your local community; support Canadian businesses; it’s always great to support Canada,” he said.
The Living Room Art Bus also provided free crafts for families while Durham Ways Paint a Bus offered guests an opportunity to paint on a giant yellow canvas; additionally, there was a tank onsite from the Canadian Tank Museum.
Santa was also present to greet children and collect their Christmas letters.
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