There was barely any room to walk at the Ponoka Legion during the Winter Wonderland sale last weekend.
The sale brought home crafters and businesses of all kinds to the Legion Saturday, Nov. 15 with hundreds of buyers looking for a great homemade Christmas gift. This is the third year of the Winter Wonderland and it keeps getting bigger, said organizer Charlotte Winters.
“We had 200 people lining up from 9:30 a.m. outside, just to get in,” she explained.
She said vendors book months in advance for a chance to sell their wares and spots were completely booked in early May. “Last year we had about 750 people through the door.”
Support has always been strong for the sale from both residents and local vendors. Shoppers came from around central Alberta to see what good deals there were available and floor space was not wasted.
“This way it stops people from leaving town, too. We’re still leaving money in town,” said Winters.
“People in Ponoka…like to support local businesses,” added Winters. “I felt there was a need for something like this.”
She tries to bring one vendor per company and then limit the number of categories to give shoppers a large variety of sellers.
“Most of the people here are actually moms…so it’s kind of nice to support women in business too,” said Winters.
The only real thing limiting her is the space. Winters says she would like expand the number of vendors but cannot find a place in Ponoka that can accommodate all the vendors who want to take part.
Another benefit of hosting the sale at the Legion is the close proximity to the busy Highway 2A.