The Winter Market in Boitanio Mall isn’t as active as it was before Christmas, but there are still a few vendors holding the fort until spring and a busy little walking group trying to burn up calories after the holidays.
The mall walking group meets at 10:15 a.m. on Fridays and walks around the mall until 11 a.m. and then has coffee at the Dancing Goat, says walk leader Chris Hornby.
She says Brenda Norquay and Lori Wilson lead the warm up exercises then the group walks around the upper level of the mall three and a half times, which includes a few stairs or ramp between the upper levels.
The group then takes the elevator down to the lower level and does another three laps around that portion of the mall.
“Bring your running shoes for the walk,” Hornby says. “That is a safety factor.”
The group has about five regular mall walkers so far who encourage others who may feel more confident walking indoors out of the winter elements to join them, Hornby says.
“It takes about 40 minutes to do the walk. Then for about $1 we can get two minutes in the massage chairs before we have coffee.”
About 18 vendors participated in the Winter Market between October and December.
That number is down to about eight regulars, but participation is expected to pick up again toward the end of February and March leading into spring.
The Winter Market runs in the mall until the end of May when the farmer’s markets resume in lakecity, Hornby says.
Vendors currently maintaining venues include Lori Wilson of Annie’s Attic collectibles; Daydrian Young from the Dancing Goat Coffee Shop and rabbitry; Vera Lehar from Natural Organic Skin Care products; and Kay Titford and Brenda Norquay from the mall walking group.
The Winter Market happens on Fridays in Boitanio Mall between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the second level of the mall outside the former Zellers store.
Each vendor pays $10 a day to set up their wares in the market.
Some of the vendors normally participating include people selling homemade and hand crafted items such as baking, canning, dried herbs, specialty foods such as First Nations icecream, pottery, jewellery, knitted and crochet items and more.