Market manager Alena Downs in front of the sign featuring local artisan companies.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Alena Downs
February 05, 2022 - 4:31 PM
A new artisan shop is sharing a pizza shop’s space, enticing customers to shop local.
LOCALeH opened Feb. 1 at the Pizzamoreh location in Westbank, 2565 Main Street.
The business idea started a little over a month ago from a Christmas artisan market and the desire to continue supporting Okanagan artisans through a full-time market, said manager Alena Downs.
“We have a very pretty, boutique-style market,” she said, adding it’s set up like a store and features artisans' wares from homewares, greeting cards, comfort foods, eggs, meat and more from across the Okanagan.
With the pandemic and global supply chains experiencing difficulties, Downs thinks it’s brought on a desire to shop local.
With 15 vendors so far, “we’ve everything from custom fishing lures to handmade occasion cards to bath and body soaps,” some vegan and gluten-free, she said.
Pizzamoreh is also offering its classic frozen pizzas and other delicious goods out of the same building.
The Peachland resident said there’s a sense of community in the Central Okanagan and the drive to support one another with this market.
”It gives them the opportunity to be able to run their business on a little bit of a larger scale,” she said, adding some artisans may not be able to afford the lease space otherwise.
The market's shelf space is open to artisans in the Interior.
Plans are in the works to open an online shop by St. Patrick’s Day.
A grand opening for the market will be held Feb. 11 to 13.
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