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A holiday season market filled with environmentally friendly items from a variety of local and regional artists and artisans has popped up on Douro Street in Stratford.
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York Lane Art Collective’s annual Eco Art Market officially opened on Friday.
Curated by the collective’s founder, Stratford-based artist Claire Scott, the market features upscale fashion, home décor, jewelry, and other creative wares from artists in Perth County and across Southwestern Ontario.
“If you’re looking for something one-of-a-kind, unique and eco-conscious, then this is definitely the right spot,” Scott said. “It’s got so many different things.”
A section of the market features a thrift store with Scott’s upscale clothing, a personal brand she began moving away from fast fashion a couple of years ago after learning more about the environmental and social impacts of that industry.
“Since then, I just have been really aware of my creations and the artwork around me,” she said. “I really admire other artists who are also (taking steps) to be eco-minded.”
Scott said the realization that her creative decisions could inspire others to think about their own environmental footprint is what motivated her to offer eco-conscious artists space at the annual market when she first launched it four years ago.
“It’s a win-win situation,” she said. “It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the soul… and now the consumer has a different perspective when they’re buying.”
After being forced to scale back the market last year due to the pandemic, more than 30 artists and artisans are featured this year. The market is open from Thursday to Sunday over the next four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve.
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“Watching the artists come in here and be excited and light up and see their work get hung or displayed… made me realize how much we (missed) opportunities to be a collective,” Scott said. “I’m just so happy to be able to host a space that can also make other artists excited to be creators.”
IF YOU GO
What: York Lane Art Collective’s Eco Art Market
When: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 6 pm and Sundays from noon to 4 pm The market’s final three days are Dec. 22, 23, and 24.
Where: 390 Douro St. Enter from the corner of Romeo and Douro streets.
More info: yorklaneartcollective.ca/ecoartmarket