Two markets beautified an already picturesque West Coast weekend and local artisans and vendors will keep the good times rolling through summer’s sunshine.
Ucluelet’s market season celebrated a successful launch on Sunday while Tofino’s has hit its stride with a third successful showing on Saturday.
“We’re really excited to be starting the new market season again,” Ucluelet Sunday Market coordinator Katherine Loiselle told the Westerly News amidst the market’s warm and welcoming June 4 bustle.
“We have a great new board this year that we’re working with and it’s through a lot of hard work from some very generous people that we’re able to really pull a great, organized season together.”
Ucluelet’s market has been held on Friday nights since its inception in 2012, but has switched to Sunday afternoons this year in an effort to attract more vendors and browsers. It will be held every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ucluelet’s Village Green.
“I really can’t say enough about the spot. The Ucluelet waterfront in itself is an amazing attraction,” Loiselle said. “Having the market down here is really just a great way to enhance this already amazing community space, bring visitors down here as well as really give the community a place to meet on a Sunday afternoon showcasing our super talented local artisans and vendors.”
Tofino’s market delivers a delightful variety of local wares from fresh produce to candles, soap, photography, art, jewelry, blown glass, carving, clothing and massages to Tofino’s Village Green every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The vibrant scene includes live music, workshops and kids’ activities.
“It is truly a gathering place for our community, a place to see our friends, watch our kids play and support our local artisans,” Tofino Market coordinator Anne Weeks told the Westerly. “There’s no better place to visit and chat than in the sunshine on the Village Green, surrounded by hard-working, creative entrepreneurs sharing their amazing talents and gifts.”
She said the market offers a solid illustration of Tofino’s “authenticity” and promotes the strength of the community’s local arts and food cultures while adding another lure that attracts visitors to the area.
“It drives visitation and enhances the visitor experience, while promoting the eclectic character and artisans of Tofino,” she said, “I think the popularity of markets in general has increased over the years, people like the idea of buying local and, thanks in part to our support from Tourism Tofino, it is becoming well-known that Tofino has a vibrant, eclectic market worth checking out.”