Weekend shop to fill Christmas craft fair void for some P.E.I. artisans

Diana Tutty and her son have been a part of the P.E.I. craft circuit for several years. One year they made buttons. Another time they focused on the sewing machine — always changing their creations based on what piqued his interest at the time.

So when the announcement came that all P.E.I. school Christmas craft fairs would be prohibited this year due to COVID-19, Tutty knew she had to do something.

"Crafting and creating is really a part of a person's, you know, soul," she said. "In the absence of that, it really leaves a hole."

But Tutty has found a way to fill that hole. 

"We decided, my partner [Lloyd Kerry] and I, to provide a venue on a much smaller scale than a regular holiday craft fair, where we could gather a number of artisans," she said.

About 20 vendors

Currently, they have about 20 local vendors involved who specialize in items ranging from clothing to pottery to photography to honey.

"Everyone is sort of, like I said, on the same level as us … they don't have their own retail store."

These days, Tutty focuses on woodcraft and making items like charcuterie boards from local wood. And while for her it's more of a passion project, she said some Island artists find craft fairs essential to their bottom line.  

"They really do count on this time of year to help continue their business."

Our Local Shop is located on the Charlottetown waterfront and will be opened on the weekends leading up to Christmas.

"We wanted to be as inclusive as possible, but we have a few sort of ground rules that we decided on from the beginning," said Tutty. "One was that we didn't want to duplicate anything. We didn't want people to walk in and see five different potters and then have to choose between them…

"So we kind of have a sampling of every different kind of vendor product that you might imagine seeing at a craft fair. Just one of them."

'Expect a big crowd'

According to Tutty, because of support from the landlord, the majority of revenues will be able to go directly back to the creator. 

Tutty said COVID-19 protocols will be in place at the small store, meaning only six people will be allowed in at one time.

"We do expect a big crowd but, you know, if you can't get in, if the line ups too big or anything like that, feel free to come back." 

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