Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Looking to shop local this holiday season?
A new online marketplace is giving shoppers easy access to Albertan merchants and makers.
Spearheaded by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce in partnership with local chambers, Chamber Market makes shopping local easier and includes Alberta products not available on multinational e-commerce sites.
“I think for some communities it’s going to be a game changer, especially rural communities that have a lot of individual artisans and merchandise producers,” said Pattie Pavlov, executive director of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce.
“We have some of those here, and some of those are definitely onboarding, but many of our merchants already have online accounts, so now it’s only a matter of bringing those who’ve never had an online presence onto our system.”
Chamber Market was conceived in response to the global pandemic and the competitiveness of online commerce.
Although Chamber Market officially launched this month, the local Chamber has been actively promoting this platform to Jasper businesses and the rest of the community for months.
“You don’t have to be a member to activate an account through Chamber Market, but Chamber members get the value added of having their onboarding fees paid for by our Chamber,” Pavlov said.
Pavlov said they had a lot of interest from local merchants, but they plan to push the platform more in January once the holidays are over.
Chamber Market has over 1,200 items up for sale, but the goal is to highlight more products and services from Alberta businesses.
Businesses are asked to pay a $25 processing and registration fee for this service.
“This is good old-fashioned Alberta entrepreneurial spirit at work finding long-term solutions to help the local retail sector overcome significant e-commerce competition challenges that have been amplified by the global pandemic,” said Ken Kobly, president and CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, in a news release.
“Not only does this give incredible exposure to businesses, a consumer crunched for time can – from the convenience of their own home – purchase decorative hand towels from Lloydminster, leather wallets from Blackfoot, and wooden board games from Airdrie, while stocking their holiday cupboards with coffee, spirits and baked goods from local producers.”
Kobly added that Chamber Market would serve as a reliable alternative to gifts and purchases reliant on international shipping, which is still affected by major backlogs and shutdowns due to COVID-19.
Matricia Bauer, a member of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and the artist behind Warrior Women, said in the news release how Chamber Market can help Indigenous business owners market their goods.
“Most Indigenous business owners sell their products using social media alone,” Bauer said.
“This platform brings them into the mainstream, by making them accessible and visible.”
Check out Chamber Market at chambermarket.ca
