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Beverly Glover has been selling fruitcakes and other baked goods at holiday markets throughout Calgary for eight years.
The co-owner of Two Old Crows Confections says she's seen the city's Christmas market season grow over the years, adding dozens of craft fairs over the years. Some start as early as October.
Now Glover is feeling the effects of a seemingly oversaturated market.
She recalls doing well in the market for about five years and then seeing her sales start to decline. After speaking with several other suppliers, Glover learned they had similar experiences. The consensus was: “There are too many markets.”
A quick Google search for holiday markets in cities like Calgary or Montreal turns up several pages of information about upcoming events at community centres, shopping centres, retirement centres, churches and more.
Yvonne Bamlett, an organizer of Calgary's Springbank Christmas Market for nearly 40 years, says she used to see a new craft fair pop up every now and then, “but now it seems like everyone's in business.”
“You can only spend so much money on handmade things,” she said.
Is there such a thing as “too much” holiday shopping?
Retail analyst Bruce Winder says the abundance of Christmas markets fits with a strategy department stores are also using: offering holiday items earlier in the season to capitalize on a longer period of spending.
For some consumers, it can be overwhelming, he said.
“There's a risk that the consumer will just be put off by it all because it's too much, some will be put off because it's too early, some will be put off because everywhere they go there's too much of it,” Winder said.
“This year is particularly difficult because consumers have become more watchful of their money due to higher unemployment in Canada and fears of a trade dispute with our southern partners.”
Some organizers say more markets will lead to a 'bigger pie'
When Melina Serangelo co-founded Collectif Créatif Montréal 11 years ago, there were only a few holiday markets, she says. Now she noticed that they were appearing everywhere in the city.
But Serangelo feels that “the pie is getting bigger, not just being cut thinner.”
“Of course, every time I see another market popping up, I think, oh, do we really need another market? But I honestly think we do, because it does mean that people are interested in it.”
Serangelo also emphasized that buying from local vendors means shoppers are more likely to receive unique gifts and spend money that stays in the community.
Charlene Delisle, CEO of Delisle Marketing and Events, is looking forward to the opening of the new one-day holiday market on Stephen Avenue in Calgary next week.
She believes everyone has plenty of time and space to get into holiday markets, especially since they tend to appeal to different customer bases and different price points (for both buyers and sellers).
“I think as long as we don't oversaturate a certain area, I think we can all do well. But if there are too many of them in one quadrant or square kilometer, then yes, it can become a problem,” she said.
What should the client do?
But for avid market shopper Tara Souza, the abundance of options proves to be a problem.
Souza says she scoured dozens of online markets to find the right ones to take her family to: markets that are kid-friendly, have attractions like a petting zoo or Santa Claus for photo opportunities, and are affordable enough for her mom.
She also tries to be careful not to spend too much money before she even gets to the door, as some charge an entrance fee.
“It kind of makes it hard to choose when you have so many days off and so much money to put into these things,” Souza said.
To attract customers, Deslys said it's important to promote the market's strengths, whether it's free parking or admission, hosting unique vendors or offering special events.
Winder said holiday markets are like any consumer product in retail: “If you don't see something that's fresh every year and something that's relevant for the season with new designs and things like that, you're going to stop buying.”
Glover of Two Old Crows Confections said despite the bumps in the road, she was able to maintain sales from regular customers and spread her Christmas cheer to markets outside of Calgary.
Cremona, Alta. – population 450 people – does not have that much competition.
