Christmas Craft Show
Thank you for attending the 2024 edition of the Canterbury Community Association’s Annual Christmas Craft Show !
Join us next year: Sunday, November 16, 2025 from 10:00am to 3:00pm
Canterbury Community Centre
2185 Arch St, Ottawa, ON K1G 2H5
Vendor application period will open in Spring 2025. Interested in being a vendor? Please follow the link below.
Any questions?
Please contact the office at 613-738-8998 or email programs@cca-acc.ca
No and no. We strive to keep the show fresh every year with a mix of returning and new vendors. Certain categories will see a rotation of vendors year over year and we will adjust the lineup to be certain we don’t have too much repetition of items. Therefore, you cannot assume you will be automatically chosen every year.
Once all the applications are in, we look at the categories of items to see how many vendors we have in each. From there we examine the variety and quality of the items. We want to ensure we have a good balance of appealing items and vendors in all categories. Then we make the final choice.
Unselected vendors will be asked if they want to stay on a waiting list for the show. Tables often become available at the last minute due to cancellations. Those tables get filled from vendors on the list.
We receive many more applications from vendors than we can accept in the show. Therefore, it is impossible to provide feedback to individual applicants about why they weren’t selected. Here are some reasons why vendors are not chosen:
- Vendor rotation: We want to keep the show fresh and give different vendors a chance – especially in popular categories. No vendor has a safe space in the show year after year.
- Many applicants in same category: In general, some categories have many more applicants than others. If you have an original, unique take on your craft that will serve you well. For example, if you knit scarves and five other applicants submit similar items, chances are only one of the scarf knitters will be accepted into the show. We want you to sell your crafts! You will have a much harder time if five other vendors are selling exactly what you sell. Here’s another example: we often have multiple jewelry vendors. They were chosen because they all do something different in the jewelry category: beading, silver, polymer clay, etc.
- Craft-by-numbers: We prefer vendors who are putting creativity and originality into their work. These days, it’s very easy to buy craft kits or watch a YouTube video on how make simple crafts. If we can sense that your work is like this, it is unlikely to be chosen.
- Aesthetic of product line: Over the years, we have developed a sense of what items are selling. Quite simply, many items have fallen out of favor. If we think a vendor’s items fall into this category, that vendor will not be chosen.
- Not following directions: If you disobey the rules set forth by the CCA Craft Show, you will not be accepted for future shows. These include: bringing your own table or other additional furniture without permission; not cleaning your garbage; packing up your table before the end of the show; selling items during event set up; misrepresenting what items you will sell (when you describe the items you want to sell, we expect to see those items and not a bunch of other stuff); and harassment of CCA Staff, City of Ottawa Staff, CCA Board Members, or event volunteers. If you have a question about something we set as a rule, please feel free to ask for clarification.
Selected vendors will be given instructions on when and how to submit payment for their tables. Payments will be accepted by telephone (credit card), in person (credit card, debit card, check, or cash), and via etransfer. If you are new to the show, you are encouraged to visit the Canterbury Community Centre to tour the space and see how things work. Day-of-show information will be sent via email at least a week before the show. You may call the office with questions at any time.
Unfortunately, there are no refunds.
Vendors are provided with one 6-foot table and two chairs. The use of extra tables is not allowed. Only tables purchased from the CCA are acceptable. NO EXCEPTIONS.
There are only a few vendors who will get the opportunity to purchase two tables. That decision is usually based on the types of items being sold. If we give two tables to everyone who wants them, we will drastically reduce the number of vendors in the show.
We reserve one of our smaller rooms for children under 18 who are the next generation of crafters. If you are interested in having your child participate in this show with their items, please submit an application. There is a space to indicate if the applicant is under 18.