Handmade’s tale one of growth

By Lethbridge Herald on December 4, 2025.

Nathan Reiter
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Lethbridge Handmade Market (LHM) has come a long ways in the past decade.

LHM will be hosting their 10th annual Holi-yay holiday market at the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LHM is organized by local entrepreneur Jessy Gust. In an interview with the Herald, Gust says the event has come a long way in the decade it has been around.

“I had no idea that we would make it. The handmade community has grown exponentially since we started it. It’s quite amazing to see how far we’ve gone and how far we’ve come and how many vendors we’ve had in that time as well.”

The first LHM event took place in the basement of the Eagles Hall on the north side of the city and has grown exponentially in that time.

“We only had 30 vendors and now for this market we have over 200.” Gust explained. “It’s definitely learning to grow into a larger space and a lot of organizational pivot as well as we continue to run the market throughout COVID which took a lot of adaptation during that time. We wanted to still provide a marketplace to the community but having to follow so many regulations was difficult at times.”

More than 210 vendors from across Canada are expected to be at the event. 25 vendors are what the event is calling Kidpreneurs, which are business owners below the age of 18 who are showcasing their works. 

Throughout the day, the event will feature live music, a scavenger hunt for kids, a themed photobooth along with visits from the Grinch. 

Gust says the event will have something new to offer, even to returning customers from their last event. 

“I think it’s very important for the handmade community and we have some vendors that have been with us for all nine years. Another thing that’s unique is each event we have over 30 percent of brand new first time to LHM as well. We retain about a 30 percent new vendor percentage however you want to say that. I think that’s something that really sets us apart because each event you’re going to see a unique variety and a new variety of artists so you never see the same thing twice.”

Admission will cost $8 at the door but can be reduced with a donation to the food bank. Seniors will also be offered a discount.