The calendar might say June 21 is the official first day of summer, but a group of local vendors will be welcoming summer on Saturday, June 25 with a market and community event in Barrie.
The Welcome Summer Market is being hosted by Local Street Marketplace — a streamlined website where consumers can come and find a variety of different community-based products and services — and will offer local companies a chance to share all the cool and unique things they have to offer.
Scheduled to run rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Southshore Centre along Barrie’s waterfront, the market will serve as Local Street Marketplace’s first in-person event, acknowledged co-founded Tina Hercules.
“We are an online marketplace and we want to create an opportunity for our vendors and other businesses within the Barrie area to get increased exposure," Hercules told BarrieToday. "We haven’t been able to do it for so long and now that everything is opening up, we wanted to have this fun event that not only gives these businesses this exposure, but will also make it a fun community event where people can come out and have fun."
The Southshore Centre, she added, offers the perfect location due to its proximity to Kempenfelt Bay, downtown and the Allandale Waterfront GO station.
“It’s an awesome location being right on the water and it will also be able to grab the attention of tourists that come to Barrie and let them know that we have great things happening here in our city all the time,” she said. “The more great events that we can add to the menu of things happening in Barrie and to offer for residents and tourists alike the better.”
The event will feature nearly 30 vendors both inside and outside, ranging from fashion and home decor to local artists and food vendors.
“We made sure, for our businesses and community members that come, that we had a great variety of different kinds of businesses," Hercules said. "Local Street will (also) have a small table and we will be selling small snacks (with) all proceeds going to the two charities in attendance.”
Admission is free, however Hercules added they will happily accept any monetary donations at the door that will be shared between the two local charities in attendance — Barrie Families Unite and Youth Haven.
There will be free “swag bags” for the first 25 customers, loot bags for the first 100 kids, as well as a bouncy castle. Attendees will also receive one free entry for their grand-prize visitor raffle.
“It’s been up and down the last few years and the world is opening up. It’s just so great to be able to come together as a community, have some fun and enjoy what our community has to offer,” Hercules said.
“It’s going to be awesome and we are so excited to see everybody there. You can come enjoy the Welcome Summer Market and then continue on down the path to Open Air Dunlop," she added. "There's so much happening. We just have such a beautiful city so let’s take it in together and support one another.”
