Chioma Osisiogu, left, works the Signage Clothing & Crafts booth at the Multicultural Community Market at the Ruth Avenue Sportsplex last Sunday. The market was held as part of City Days. Alexandra Brothers photo.
By Alexandra Brothers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
July 28, 2023 Edition
Mount Pearl residents were offered a taste of international flavours Sunday as the City hosted a Multicultural Community Market at the Ruth Avenue Sportsplex.
The event was part of the annual City Days summer festival. Residents had the opportunity to shop and enjoy international street food and listen to local musicians from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
The first Community Market was held in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to keep up with this initiative the past three years, but “now it’s back,” said Rosie Stead, the community events coordinator for the City of Mount Pearl.
According to Stead, the event originated “because (the City) wanted to add a little bit more of a multicultural aspect to City Days.”
Mount Pearl received multicultural funding from the federal government to provide vendors with a space where they could showcase their merchandise without charging them rent.
“I think it's really important,” said Stead of the importance of the event to the community. “It's reaching out to a lot of different cultures to get people out here who are trying to make a living.”
The object of bringing together multicultural vendors and entertainers, said Stead, was “to broaden Mount Pearl's cultural experience.”
With over 15 vendors and four amazing entertainers from a variety of cultural backgrounds, the market did just that.
One of the participants was Amal Osama, the owner of Stalactites Designs, who is originally from Egypt and has been living in Newfoundland since 2015. She started her handmade décor company in 2020. Osama makes all her macrame products by hand using recycled materials. Although she spoke of some of the ups and downs of running a small business, she expressed her love for meeting people and hearing positive reactions to her products at the markets she attends.
Also working the market were owner Lori Gosse and her employee Kaitlin Hoskins with the jewelry company, Lori & Co.
Gosse, a St. John’s resident, began her company in 2016, when she was in university. In spite of setbacks caused by the pandemic, the company quickly evolved from online sales and appearances at farmers markets to a small pop-up store and on to several storefronts which the company likewise outgrew. The store has since settled at its current location on Hamlyn Road.
Festival goers also had a chance to sample the wares of Signage Clothing & Crafts, a company that may be familiar to those who frequent the St. John’s Farmers Market. It offers a wide variety of vibrant products all made from beautiful Nigerian fabrics.
Chioma Osisiogu, an employee of Signage Clothing & Crafts, said the company has grown a lot since she began working there with the owner, Winifred Ohwoka, in 2020.
“When I started working for her,” said Osisiogu, “it was still a small business, but right now it’s really big —she has a lot of customers now.”
Matryoshka Design Co., a family-run arts and craft company, incorporates Russian and Ukrainian heritage into its designs. Married couple Serg and Alicia Sizov started experimenting with resin designs during the pandemic as a way to pass the time but soon found their company taking off as many people began to express interest in their products. Serg moved to Newfoundland 23 years ago from Chicago, but he was originally born in Russia while his family is Ukrainian. His wife, Alicia, grew up in Mount Pearl and St. John’s.
“Getting to be creative and having people be receptive to an idea that you put out there and to see someone really connect with a piece you’ve made is really fulfilling as a creative person,” said Alicia.
“It’s also nice to have a bit of our (Ukrainian) culture introduced into Newfoundland,” said Serg. “It’s just nice to kind of see that happening and growing in Newfoundland.”
They both applauded the City for organizing this kind of event.
“It’s awesome to get the opportunity to see and support other local vendors,” said Alicia.
The market also offered fabulous entertainment by a variety of musicians from different cultural backgrounds, who serenaded the customers as they shopped.
Singer/songwriter Cristina Hernandez kicked off the entertainment with lively Mexican folk singing. She was followed by Cuban guitarist, Hierrito Onelvis Hernandez, multilingual francophone singer/songwriter Liz Fagan and Peruvian folk musician, Maia Mckewon.
“We are hoping that this will be an annual thing,” said Stead.
