The 2023 season for Manson’s Friday Market kicked off on January 13, 2023.
“I come here every week that it’s open. I put my face in here, sometimes not for very long, but I always walk around and see what’s happening. It’s a social occasion,” said Andy Vine, a former Director of the Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA) which looks after Mansons Hall.
“This winter is going better than previous winters. There’s more vendors.”
Cortes Currents: Are you talking pre-covid years as well?
Andy Vine: “Yes, I am talking pre-covid years. Sometimes there were only two or three vendors.”
There were 7 booths spread around the hall, with a variety of different foods and goods produced on Cortes.
Andy Vine: “That’s nice to see.”
Tammy Collingwood, SCCA’s Operations Manager, explained, “The vendors are what is at the heart of the market. Making the vendors happy, seeing what their needs are and what their vision is, is my goal in moving the market forward. We’re hoping to attract more vendors year round. I have a lot of ideas and other people have a lot of ideas, just trying to always make things better. The market is one of the main year-round social events that we have here in Mansons.”
Helene Racine, Mansons Landing postmistress, agreed with her: “I’m just hanging out with friends during my lunch break. It’s a nice gathering place where people come to chat and hang out. We get to see the creative side of our neighbours. It is awesome. It’s a nice place to be.”
Cortes Currents: How long have you been doing this?
Helene Racine: “Six years now, and I’ll do it again every week because I work close by. I close one door, open the other, and here I am. Everybody should come here to say hello and hang out.”
Dale Thomas was just setting out her baked goods, salad rolls and other edible goodies.
Cortes Currents: How often have you been coming here?
Dale Thomas: “I would think it’s been about maybe 15 years. I weld recycled metal pieces together. So I started doing the market with metal, and then I gradually moved into food. I’m really grateful that the hall is here and the market’s on every Friday.”
“Last year was a great year. Summer was really busy, that was good because a couple of years before that it was pretty slow.”
Cortes Currents: What are your expectations for today?
Dale Thomas: “I don’t really have any, I just come here, see what happens and hopefully don’t go home with too much food.”
Cortes Currents caught up to one of her customers, as she was leaving the hall.
Michelle: “I just dropped by for lunch. It’s always a treat to come in on Fridays and check out what’s here. I’ve been living here two years, so I try to make most Fridays.”
A tall young man named Ash was the next person to comment:
“I’m just coming to see what our beautiful community has put forward as offerings to the rest of us, just checking out this and that. I’m standing here at Twig Root Botanicals table and just admiring how beautifully sourced all the ingredients are from Cortes here, especially the bath bombs”.
“I always like checking out Paul’s selection too: beautiful gems and blades, drums, rattles.”
“I actually came to check out the rattles today. That was my main motivation, I was looking for a nice rattle, so come to see if there’s anything up that alley. They have all their own unique sounds and different things inside.”
“And always seeing if there’s an extra brownie that could fit in my belly at Jaguar. Nice gluten free brownies, well sourced also.”
Scott Patterson, of Black Jaguar Chocolate, said he has been coming to the market for ‘a little over a year.’”
Cortes Currents: Is that hot chocolate?
Scott Patterson: “Yes, do you want to try some? We just made it to the top 10 at the International Chocolate Awards with this one.”
He did not have time for an interview.
Neither did Paul from the booth beside him, but they did say that most of their business is abroad.
Jo-Anne Thompson is also selling her elegant toques, scarves and mittens overseas.
Jo-Anne Thompson: “I have things that went to Antarctica, the Arctic, Iceland, Europe, they’re everywhere. Like this little fella. I made one of these with the beads that went to France, and I thought that was a very big compliment because they’re so fashion conscious over there. They’re so pretty.”
In addition to being the hall’s operations manager, Tammy Collingwood is also the owner of Twigroot Botanicals.
Tammy Collingwood: “I created a website last summer so a lot of people who come to Whaletown Market or the Mansons Market will follow up with me later and place orders. I’ve had one from Pemberton, one from Washington and some Quebec, but not a ton of distant orders. Most of my customers are Friday market people. I also sell it at the co-op.”
“My background is in traditional Chinese medicine. That’s where I started learning about how to make bath bombs and salves and topical remedies in the clinic. I also studied dermatology, so I’ve blended the two and come up with a herbal botanical skincare line.”
“I grow all my own herbs on my land here on Cortes, and I make organic herbal tea blends, and I also make skincare, which I infuse with herbal infusions from the plants that I grow here on the land.”
“I make a lot of facial products, facial creams. I use all organic ingredients and serums and toner and all that. Then some pain bombs, skin healing bombs and natural deodorants. I’ve been trying a lot of different things, seeing what people like, and I’ve had a lot of positive feedback.”
People were talking about Patricia leRoux’s fanciful hand knit critters long before she arrived. There were mermaids, octopi, wildlife, all manner of pets and even humans, but that was not what she wanted to talk about.
Patricia leRoux: “it’s a very quiet time of year for the market and we sure would appreciate anyone coming by to say hello and walk through. I usually come regardless of how many people are around because I enjoy the other vendors and just the camaraderie of putting something on together. I love that and there’s always good food here. So come on down.”
Top photo credit: Some of Jo-Anne Thompson’s fancifull knit goods – Photo by Roy L Hales
Top image: Some of Jo-Anne Thompson’s knitted creations – Photo by Roy L Hales
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