his is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from John and Lynne Cook of qq (MCSM) in Shediac.

AS CRAFTERS, WE MET UP AT THE SHEDIAC SUNDAY MARKET. ONE OF THE FRUSTRATIONS WE FOUND WAS THAT IT WAS ONLY ONE DAY, OR WEEKEND CRAFT SHOWS SO IT WAS VERY MUCH DEPENDENT ON WEATHER AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS.
We thought we could do this differently so customers could find a HUGE variety of items (not just ours), shop local at reasonable prices and have more options for times to shop. We started with 13 vendors the first year and are now in our 5th year.

We have really grown, we have found that listening to customers, helping our people grow in the field they are in to meet their goals is very important. Many of our vendors work full time, have families and other obligations. This allows them the opportunity to connect with customers without having to be there in person.

The biggest thing we have learned is that supporting and growing together is a team effort. It’s a change in mindsets for us as crafters, and we truly are stronger when we unite our forces. Supporting local businesses has a real impact because the money that comes into the various shops and artisans goes back to the community in many, many different ways. Again, when we stick together, everyone wins.