Owner Jeri McKelvie stands inside her newly opened store, YPA Makers Market. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Now open

New downtown business features artisanal products from across Saskatchewan

Nov 5, 2020 | 2:38 PM

Central Avenue’s newest store aims to connect shoppers with local handmade products, while supporting Saskatchewan artisans and producers, many of whom lost income due the pandemic.

Opening a store like YPA Makers Market has been a longtime dream for owner Jeri McKelvie. In August she was nearing the end of leave of absence from her teaching job and had to decide if she wanted to return to the classroom or retire.

“I’ve worked retail a lot in my life and I’ve always wanted to have a little store of my own,” McKelvie told paNOW. “And so I thought, if I’m going to do this, this is the time, COVID or no COVID.”

Fifty-one Saskatchewan artisans and producers are respresented in the store. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

From there, McKelvie said things fell into place, she found the downtown location and began reaching out to vendors. The Central Avenue space currently features work from 51 small-scale Saskatchewan artisans and producers. Offerings include beeswax candles, handmade jewelry, locally-foraged spice blends, and custom gift baskets.

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McKelvie said many makers have lost income with the cancellation of trade shows and markets due to COVID-19. Shoppers who visited the store for opening day Wednesday were similarly excited about the new venue.

“People kept coming in and saying, this is exactly what we needed,” McKelvie said. “So I guess in a way, I think it kind of puts a little bit of normalcy back in, buying the handmade items they like to buy at Christmas time.”

YPA Markers Market is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Downtown momentum

Carolyn Carleton, executive director of the P.A. Downtown Business Improvement District, sees the opening of YPA Makers Market as part of a larger wave of momentum that’s building in the downtown, with another new business set to open soon and several existing stores planning to expand.

“It’s just really encouraging to see how people have these visions with creative new ideas and they’re seeking out the downtown as the place they want to be,” she said. “Out of all the options that they have throughout the city, they’re choosing to locate in the downtown and build on the momentum that’s happening there.”

Carleton attributes the boost in the area to the opening of the new University of Saskatchewan campus, and an increase in traffic to the area as more people choose to explore locally as opposed to travelling during the pandemic.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom