Pretty Made Things and Co. offers a venue for local vendors to sell their wares.
Currently, there are about 75 different vendors who sell their products in the business space, which is located inside Bower Place mall in Red Deer. Inside the store, people can find several different products, including clothing, books, bath and body items, jewelry, snacks, and more.
"It's all about supporting local. Red Deer has shown up to do just that," said Cheryl Connors, who owns the store with Jamie Duffy and Jen Clark.
"We started in 2020 and we didn't think it would grow into what it's become today. It's become an amazing space. We had probably 30 vendors when we first started the store and now we're more than double that. We've grown a lot. We started in a smaller space and have since moved into a bigger one."
Pretty Made Things was born following a Christmas market at Bower Place in 2019.
"After that market, they approached us about setting up a store," Connors recalled.
"Jamie and I were in the same booth together, while Jen was in her own booth. That's how Pretty Made Things came to be. It all start right here at Bower mall."
Connors said Bower Place has been the perfect space for Pretty Made Things through its first five years.
"Bower mall has been wonderful to us and they're behind us 110 per cent. There have been a lot of smaller stores like ours that have had to close down, but at at the mall, we're able to have that walk-through traffic," she said.
"We see a lot of returning customers too. We see a lot of the same people come in and say, 'This is perfect because I can come here to get a card, candle and sweater.'"
Most of the vendors are based in Red Deer. There are a couple vendors that used to live in Central, but have since moved out of province.
The store also sells products from "junior makers," Connors said.
"Pretty Made Things is also about giving space for kids who are just learning if they're putting in work, they're able to make money as well. It helps them grow and see that hard work pays off. It's a very rewarding show," she said.
For more information on the business, visit www.prettymadethings.com.
