Cape Breton Craft Show
Each year in Sydney, Nova Scotia Centre 200 hosts a Christmas craft show that brings Cape Bretoners from all around the island out to shop.
The craft show features vendors from all over the island. All the way from the highlands to the little town of Louisbourg.
What makes the show extra special is that everything there is made and sold locally.
The vendors sell all a wide variety of things that remind Cape Bretoners of home. Such as baby clothes that say “locally grown”, painted rocks from local beaches, and every Cape Bretons favourite- beach glass found on the shores of their favorite beach.
“This is the big one, this is the one everyone looks forward to every year for the Christmas season,” said Susan Gillis the craft show coordinator.
In order for a vendor to have a booth, they must be a permanent resident in Cape Breton. So there are lots of vendors from all over the island and a shopper will be sure to find a vendor from their hometown.
C200 which hosts the craft show is packed since this is the biggest craft show of the year.
Vendors are also excited to display their crafts such as Corrine Brewer who makes Christmas cards, but with a little Cape Breton twist.
“Well basically I couldn’t find any cards that I wanted to send out, and I thought these were cute because it’s Cape Breton sayings. There’s the Jesus, Mary, and Joesph one or Have a Right Nice Christmas. It’s nice to send them away.”
One of the many attractions to the show is sea glass. Since it is becoming harder and harder to find little pieces of glass on the shore such as blue coloured glass, it’s always exciting to see some for sale. Especially if it is jewelry since it can be carried with you anywhere. Some vendors even melt it down and turn it into shapes. Such as stars and angels to hang on a Christmas tree. These vendors’ tables are often packed with people.
The show also brings lots of people to downtown Sydney. “It brings a lot of people downtown and also encourages the promotion of sales downtown because you’ll see all these little shops that are open and you’re going to pop in. So it kind of goes hand in hand, craft shows, and Christmas and all that,” says Gillis.
