‘Spooktacular’ handmade market returns Saturday

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 21, 2022.

Lethbridge Handmade Market’s Spooktacular edition will be happening this Saturday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Exhibition Park South Pavilion.

With over 100 artisans, door prizes, costume contests, and fun activities for all, the event will spook your interest in what local artists have to offer.

The market offers a great chance for local businesses to showcase their work and help amplify their consumer reach.

“We have over 100 handmade artisans from Lethbridge and across Canada, we will have live music and door prizes for guests to win up to $2,500 in door prizes,” said Jessy Gust, founder and owner of the Lethbridge Handmade Market. “We will also have a kid’s scavenger hunt throughout the market, so kids can come and win free prizes throughout the day. Plus, we will also have a costume contest at 2 (p.m.).”

Saturday’s Spooktacular will be the 30th market in total for the Handmade Market, with Gust founding the event back in 2016.

“Through the last six years, I have also graduated from university and I’m a full-time teacher,” said Gust. “I get a lot of inspiration working with kids, how to bring that into the market and make it more family friendly. We also have a ‘kid-trepreneur’ element of the market. Anyone under the age of 18 that has a part in running the business, we offer 50 per cent off to all those applicants. We really try to encourage younger applicants.”

Jumping back from pandemic issues to how the market could operate under restrictions, the community has come together through this collective of local artisans.

“It’s been cool to see some of these people throughout their journey,” said Gust. “We were some of the first markets for some of the artists. We have built a relationship with them, as well as building relationships with each other. A lot of them recommend or request to be next to each other. We are excited about the people that have stayed with us through the last six years. We get a lot of brand-new artists at every show, so they really build the community themselves throughout the last few years, it has become more of a community, more than just a market.”

Those looking for a fun time this weekend can come down to Exhibition Park to get into the season of festive boos and screams of terrifying deals.

“Every event is a unique experience,” said Gust. “We also have our next market coming up on December 10, if there is room, we can add applicants. But we are full for applications, we had quite an overwhelming response for this market.”