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Client spotlight: The craft market that grew from living room to exhibition hall

We spoke to Emily Schwartz - the daughter of Scattered Seeds founder, Debs - about how they grew their craft market and the impact it has on those who both attend and sell.

a large exhibition hall with people and craft

The Scattered Seeds craft market only started selling tickets with Ticket Tailor in September 2021, but ticket demand for their craft market quickly caught our attention. Once we read more about what a success story the market was and how they are committed to empowering women (both at the event and beyond) we had to reach out and have a chat.

a white and orange background with black text saying the scattered seeds craft market

THE SCATTERED SEEDS 25TH ANNUAL CRAFT MARKET

We spoke to Emily Schwartz - the daughter of Scattered Seeds founder, Debs - about how they grew their craft market and the impact it has on those who both attend and sell.

Can you tell us about the events Scattered Seeds puts on?

Scattered Seeds is a craft market held annually in Winnipeg, Canada. We typically have one show a year with around 200 Makers, but this year, for Covid reasons & to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are having two back-to-back weekend shows, with a unique set of vendors in each!

How long have you been running these fairs and how has the number of attendees grown since you launched?

We started as a little home craft market in the late eighties. After a few years, we had around 600 women coming through the house on a weekend! As the market quickly outgrew the space, we gave it a name, moved to a bigger venue, and in 1995 Scattered Seeds was born! Pre-covid we typically have 12-14,000 attendees in a weekend.

a large exhibition hall with people and craft

Did you ever picture Scattered Seeds growing from a living room to an exhibition hall?

When we started we had no idea that the show would become as big as it has. We were just a few friends having fun, making stuff, and then selling the things we made. It was a thrill to have people buy them! Even though the show has grown and evolved, the purpose remains the same. To help people - primarily women - take their ideas as far as their dreams will allow by showcasing their creativity, resourcefulness and determination

We feel really honoured to be able to fill up a two weekend show. But it just goes to show you just how many talented and creative people we have in our province. We have a really cold, long winter here (it gets to -40 celsius regularly!) and so I think it’s a bit of a survival tactic to get creative and make things in order to keep your spirits up through those dark months.

a person standing in front of a display of leather bags

We noticed you put a percentage of ticket revenue towards good causes - can you tell us more about that decision and the impact it has?

A good friend of ours does really cool and selfless work both in our city and abroad in Eswatini, Africa, through an organization called Empowering Women. We feel lucky to be in a place where we can help the initiative out, even just a bit.

Here are a couple of ways the funds are allocated:

In our city - THE REFUGE
A collection of programs that provide support and mentorship to women maneuvering through domestic violence and difficult situations.

In Eswatini - EMPOWERING WOMEN LOAN PROGRAM
Seed money for a cyclical business microloan program for women to start their own income generating activities.

When did you start selling tickets online?

A year or two ago. Up until that point it was all at the door.

What made you choose Ticket Tailor and how are you finding the platform?

After doing a bit of research, I found Ticket Tailor to be the most cost-effective and user-friendly option. I was struggling to find a platform that would easily allow me to sell tickets for time slots (rather than regular General Admission entry), and Ticket Tailor proved to be the most seamless for this! I really appreciated the help chat feature - that was probably the final decision-maker.

And finally, if you could shout out one of your vendors who would it be and why?

We have two! One is Pure Anada, a cosmetics maker and a real success story. We remember when she would be making lipstick in a big pot over a mini stove in her booth. She was with our show for years, but this is the first time she’s had to opt out because she is simply too busy! That’s the goal 😊.

Another is Loops & Things. Our friend, Kelly, runs this one-woman knitting business and as of this year has helped us so much with our Instagram. It was a bit lacking before but she has done wonders.

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us Emily! Best of luck with your special 25th anniversary event and can’t wait to see how your craft markets to continue to grow and support your local community!

a basket of papers and a couple of packages

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