Rene Trim's Arts & Crafts: Dealing with Retail Woes

** Dealing With Retail Woes ** Recently, stories of retailers either deciding to pull out of Canada or going out of business altogether have been a regular occurrence in the press. We all know what happened to the American chain Target, as well as Canadian retailers Jacob (although this company recently announced it will continue to operate its original stores - which remained open during the liquidation process - in Montreal, Quebec City and Sorel-Tracy), Future Shop, and Smart Set (part of the Reitmans Group). Rumours of Sears Canada, Indigo and the Reitmans Group fighting for survival have been going around for several years, and a little digging around on the internet reveals a great many more problem cases.

However, earlier today, a little ray of sunshine came peeking through the dark and gloomy skies, as it was announced that retail sales actually gained 1.7% in February following two consecutive monthly declines. Sales climbed to $42.2 billion as all 11 retail subsectors posted gains and were up in 7 provinces (including Ontario).

There are many factors that cause(d) the issues retailers seem to have and it would take an extremely lengthy blog post to get into each and every one of them, so I won’t go there. What I would like to do, however, is draw a parallel between retail and craft shows as there are some similarities. Although the 2014 fall/winter shows and the first of the 2015 spring shows still drew decent crowds, the overall impression of vendors was that visitors have become more hesitant about pulling out their wallets. Instead, they spent more time looking for a specific item rather than giving into impulse buying. This is understandable, as for most of us our annual salary increase (if you were lucky enough to get one!) is no match for the ever-rising cost of natural gas, hydro, water, cable and phone - despite the temporary reprieve from gas prices.

The OVCC, the art and crafts guild I represent, has its annual spring show coming up next weekend, April 25 and 26. Obviously, we are aware of what  is going on in both the retail sector as well as at other events, so , in order to spark visitor interest, we have gone out of our way to create a line-up of artists and artisans that will appeal to a broad audience. In addition to “traditional” -  the type of vendor you would expect to see at an art and craft show - we have added vendors who specialize at medieval/renaissance costumes and armour, Venetian masks, Celtic items, as well as vendors who tap into the geek/steampunk segment of the market, and aboriginal artists. Whatever it is they do, they are all local people and you will be amazed at what our area has to offer.

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Kingsley Armoury is one of the artists participating in the OVCC’s 2015 Spring Market [/caption]

As I continue with the preparations for next week’s show, here are a few suggestions of what this weekend has to offer: ** Originals Spring Craft Sale ** April 16 to 19. Opening hours: Friday 10 am to 9 pm, Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Admission $7 ($4 for seniors 65+ and youth 13-17, free for kids under 12 years of age) - EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Drive, Ottawa. More info… ** Quilts on the Seaway ** The Cornwall Quilters Guild presents “Quilts on the Seaway”. Saturday 18 April, 10 am to 4 pm. Admission $6. Trinity Anglican Church, 105 Second Street West, Cornwall. ** Capital Pop-Up ** April 18, 10 am to 3 pm. Free admission but donations for CHEO will be accepted. Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa. More info… ** A Brush with Art ** The Manotick Art Association’s 2015 spring show and sale. Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Free admission. Manotick Curling Centre, 5519 South River Drive, Manotick.  For more information visit www.manotickart.ca [caption id=“attachment_13105” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”]

Tracy Armstrong is one of the participating artists in A Brush with Art[/caption] ** Live the Smart Way ** Eat Smart, Move Smart, Live Smart! Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April, 10 am to 4 pm daily. Admission price unfortunately not listed on website. Shaw Centre (Ottawa Convention Centre), 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa. For more information visit www.livethesmartwayexpo.com ** Doll Festival ** 5th Annual dolls, teddy bears and miniatures show and sale. Sunday 19 April from 10 am to 3 pm. Admission $5 (kids free). Jim Durrell RC (Ellwood Hall), 1265 Walkley Road, Ottawa. For more information visit www.ottawadollandcollectorsguild.com ** Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show ** Sunday April 19, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission $10 (cash only!). Shaw Centre (Ottawa Convention Centre), 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa. For more information visit www.ottawavintageclothingshow.ca ** Art Credo ** 39th Annual Art exhibition and sale. From Saturday 18 April until Sunday 3 May from noon until 6 daily (until 8 pm on Thursdays and Fridays). Free admission. St. John the Evangelist Church, Elgin at Somerset. For more information visits www.artcredo.ca That’s all for now, folks - have a creative weekend and don’t forget to support/think/shop local!