There's a new way to shop downtown for the holidays.
The Downtown Timmins BIA is setting up a holiday pop-up shop at 254 Third Ave.
It will feature local makers or smaller businesses, who can set up for one or all of the days it's open.
“The pop-up shop is exciting for us to feel out that market and have a place for people to showcase. And it’s a great way to pull people downtown,” said Noella Rinaldo, BIA executive director.
Vendors are still needed to take part in the temporary shop located in the old Mirror, Mirror location next to Altered Reality. Rinaldo said they are looking for crafters or small businesses that are not direct sales.
It will be open Friday, Dec. 6 for a ladies' shopping night, and Saturday, Dec. 7.
It will also run Friday, Dec. 13, Saturday, Dec. 14, Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21. Friday the hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., while the Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The cost to be a vendor is $40 per day.
The pop-up shop is a bit of an experiment.
Rinaldo said Christmas is the perfect time to bring people downtown, and the holiday run will also help with the logistics of offering a permanent pop-up space for smaller businesses.
“This is what the whole idea of this space is, to give these businesses a chance to kind of test out the market differently,” said Rinaldo.
Moving forward, she has a vision for the program.
There are empty spaces downtown, and she noted there are smaller businesses or services that are looking to grow.
She said she's talked with organizations like the Timmins Economic Development Corporation, Venture Centre, and Chamber of Commerce about different ideas like a Win This Space, where a small business owner wins a retail space for a limited time.
“It really is a way to foster small business and kind of help them out a little bit,” she said, adding there's a lot of training available locally to grow a business to the next level.
If you're interested in being a vendor at the holiday pop-up shop, contact the BIA at 705-264-8733.
