The Flin Flon Arts Council’s latest pilot project is up and running - a new, Main Street-based location for selling local arts and crafts pieces. The Uptown Emporium is now open.
In front is a storefront, based out of the former site of Newest Wrinkle, featuring handicrafts, art pieces and the like, all made by artists from Flin Flon and outlying areas. The goods range from small statues and sculptures, to handmade wooden signs with interesting messages, to a handmade violin made by local artisan Alistair Callegari - that one, Kolt said, was likely going to be sold to a musician from down south. In the back is a podcast studio, where the arts council plans to base some future programming out of.
Opening a shop to sell local wares has been part of the arts council’s plans for years but it was something the group never got around to doing. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the organization’s hand when it pushed the group’s annual Christmas craft sale online - that was the kick the council needed to set up a similar, year-round online storefront for craft sales.
Kolt said there was a direct link between the Christmas craft sale - which has gone down as a success - and the Emporium’s opening.
“It is a complete link. It’s been on our five-year plan and to-do list - we thought it would be so great to support local artisans regularly, throughout the year,” said Kolt.
“We thought, ‘What if we could, even as a pilot project, do this so artisans can make a little bit of money?’”
Over the past few months, the Emporium was open in online form only, using a Shopify page and website to sell items while developing the uptown space. With COVID-19 restrictions beginning to ease and businesses previously barred from opening to the public now able to unlock their doors, the Emporium followed suit. The store is currently open for up to two customers at a time - once restrictions also for more, the store will allow more customers in.
“It will be nice to have a place where people can come in and pick up locally made things,” Kolt said.
The online store is still active at uptownemporium54.com.
