Handcraft treasures at Cole Harbour Place

Maritime artisans are ready to help you with shopping

Maritime Apparel gives an opportunity to local artisans to show off their unique handmade treasures.

Karla Blackmore and Heather Chittick, owners of Maritime Apparel, organized Maritime Artisans Fall Craft Fair to support local vendors and their handmade jewelry and products on last Saturday.

“We are very much into local,” Chittick says, “Buying local, shopping local and supporting local makers, that’s why we do it, to bring them out and give them exposure.”

Chittick said that the main idea of Maritime Artisans Fall Craft Fair is to highlight local businesses and crafters.

Chittick and Blackmore came up with this idea when they have done other fairs at local places, so Chittick and Blackmore decided to try it at Cole Harbour.

Maritime Artisans Fall Craft Fair included an assortment of handcrafted jewelry, clothes, Halloween and Christmas decorations, and craft beer.

But the main attraction for people was flower preservation jewelry by Taylor Holsman.

“I’ve always been fascinated by nature and the beauty that it holds”, says Holsman, “but it always made me kind of sad that it all dies, so this is my way of preserving nature.”

Also, another attraction people found interesting was the beer by The Harbour Brewing Company.

Chris Downey, the owner of The Harbour Brewing Company, said he was interested to participate in the fair since the other vendor couldn’t attend this event, and Downey didn’t expect that his beer will catch the attention.

Maritime Apparel organizes Fall Craft Fair every year, but this year is different because many people gathered to look at handcrafts, and by the end of the afternoon there was not enough space in the room, which surprised Chittick and Blackmore.

“We focus a lot on the advertising,” says Chittick, “Our focuses are not just to sell our tables, but to get customers in to shop those tables.”

Admission for the fair was free, so approximately 2000 people attended this event

“Our main goal to leave all of these vendors and people happy at the end of the day,” says Chittick.