Little Bean Market in Prince George all about the kids

Handmade goods geared toward babies and kids will be on display during Saturday’s 2nd annual Little Bean Market.

It’s being held at the Prince George Dome (formerly called the Roll-A-Dome) from 10 AM to 3 PM and is organized by Nicole Gibson and Jessica Quinn who are sisters and are both small business owners.

Quinn runs Long Live North Apparel while Gibson operates Yellow Ribbon Photography.

Niche markets of this kind are becoming quite popular in Western Canada and hopes Prince George can follow suit.

“These kids and baby markets are becoming really popular in larger centers like the Lower Mainland and bigger cities in Alberta there’s a lot of markets like this and is a big business right now creating kids clothes as well keeping things as local as possible,” says Quinn.

She adds up until its inception last year, it was hard to find local artisans geared toward this demographic.

“There was really nothing like it before and we really wanted to have an opportunity to create a marketplace for these small businesses and creative hand-made artisans to show off these products and we’re really about showcasing local community.”

A high-traffic market like this can also lead to increased brand awareness for many of these small businesses who are looking to make their mark.

“A lot of these businesses are one person teams with a limited budget and you’re just focused on creating your own handmade goods, it can be difficult to market yourself and get your name out there a bit more so markets are a good place for vendors to find a new customer base.”

Over 30 vendors will be in attendance including Bulldog Wrinkle, Playgrounds Cafe, and Cozy Bums Diapers.

Admission is by donation and will support the local branch of the Friends of Children non-profit society.

Over $2,100 was raised last year to support the group, which assists children in Northern BC who are sick, injured, disabled or chronically ill.