Share what you make

This is a small community market that's part of the Grand Opening. It's not a flea market and not a trade show. Think of it like a porch sale between neighbours — handmade things, small-batch pantry goods, and items your own family has outgrown or no longer needs.

There's no table fee. We just ask that you read the guidelines below and keep it in the spirit of the day.

What works well

• Handmade crafts — woodwork, knitting, pottery, jewellery, art, soaps, candles — anything you make yourself.
• Small-batch home pantry goods — jam, honey, pickles, baked goods, fudge, popcorn and similar. There's a separate food section below with the specific rules, because BC has rules about what can come out of a home kitchen and what can't. Please read it if this is you.
• Gently used children's items — books, clothes, small toys, shoes. Things your own family has outgrown.
• Small household items in good condition — kitchenware, tools, linens, home decor.
• Plants, seedlings, cuttings from your own garden, and whole fresh produce you grew yourself.

The spirit of the day

Price things fairly, or offer them for free — up to you. Trading between neighbours is great. The goal is to meet people and keep good things moving through the community, not to run a business for the afternoon.

Please leave at home

• Large furniture, broken appliances, old electronics, worn-out car parts. We're keeping the footprint small so setting up and packing down stays easy for everyone.
• Resold store-bought products, MLM stock, dropshipped items. We'd like to keep the market focused on things made by neighbours or passed along from families.
• Weapons, alcohol, tobacco, vape products, cannabis. Family-friendly event.
• Anything that needs to be plugged in or makes a lot of noise. We're not running power out to the market tables this year, and we'd like to keep the music on the main stage the soundtrack of the afternoon.

BC has a lovely little framework that lets home cooks sell certain things at community markets without needing a full permit — it's called the BCCDC "lower-risk foods" guideline, and it's how the local fairs run their jam and honey tables. We're using that same framework, which means we can welcome home-made food as long as every food vendor sticks to the list below. If something you make isn't on the allowed list, it's not a reflection on your cooking — we're the hosts on paper here, and we'd like to make sure everyone (ourselves included) stays on the right side of the provincial rules so the market can happen at all.

✅ Allowed from a home kitchen

• Jam, jelly, marmalade — boiling-water processed, sealed Mason jars, new lids.
• Honey (raw or processed, in sealed jars).
• Pickles and relishes — vinegar-brined only, pH 4.6 or lower.
• Mustard — vinegar-based, shelf-stable.
• Salsa and chutney — acidified to pH 4.6 or lower, thermally processed.
• Bread, cookies, muffins, scones, cinnamon buns — no dairy or cream fillings.
• Butter tarts, fruit pies (fruit only, no cream or custard).
• Cakes with sugar-only icing (no buttercream, no cream cheese, no whipped cream).
• Fudge, toffee, hard candy.
• Popcorn — plain, kettle, or caramel.
• Granola, trail mix, energy balls — non-dairy only.
• Dried herbs, tea blends, dried fruit.
• Whole fresh fruit and vegetables from your own garden.

❌ Not allowed from a home kitchen

These are BC rules, not ours. If you really want to bring one of these, it has to come from a licensed commercial facility with paperwork, not a home kitchen. Easier to just skip it.

• Any home-made meat products — sausage, jerky, pepperoni, cured or smoked meat, pâté. No exceptions, no loopholes. Meat has to come from a licensed meat plant.
• Any home-made dairy — cheese, butter, yogurt, homemade ice cream, cream cheese, anything made with milk.
• Fermented anything — kombucha, ginger beer, water kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented hot sauce. BC rules ban these from home kitchens for sale.
• Home juices and ciders — unpasteurized juice is not allowed.
• Cream pies, custard pies, lemon meringue, anything with cream or custard filling.
• Meat pies, tourtière, perogies, cabbage rolls — anything with meat inside.
• Home-canned low-acid vegetables, soups, stews, or broths — this is the botulism risk category, strictly banned.
• Home-infused or flavored oils (garlic oil, herb oil). Also a botulism risk.
• Home eggs from backyard chickens (BC technically allows this with a notice to Interior Health, but we're not set up to handle it this year — maybe next year).
• Cut fruit or veggie platters, cut melon, fruit salad, dips — anything pre-sliced that isn't individually sealed.
• Buttercream or cream-cheese-frosted cakes, anything that needs refrigeration.
• Home-made chocolate from bulk chocolate (chocolate sourcing rules — not worth the hassle).

🏷️ Required label on every food item

Every prepackaged food item on your table needs a label with the following. The last line is required wording from BC Centre for Disease Control — it has to be on the label, or on a visible sign at your table.

[PRODUCT NAME]
Made by: [Your name]
Address: [Where it was prepared]
Ingredients: [List by weight, most first]
Allergens: Contains [wheat / milk / eggs / nuts / etc.]
Net weight: [g or mL]
Best before: [date]

THIS FOOD HAS BEEN PREPARED IN A KITCHEN
THAT IS NOT INSPECTED BY A REGULATORY AUTHORITY.

You don't need fancy labels — handwritten on an index card taped to each jar is fine. The ingredient list and the "not inspected" disclaimer are the non-negotiable parts.

A few practical things for food vendors

• Everything should be individually packaged before you arrive — no bulk scooping or cutting on site.
• No tasting samples that require touching food with bare hands. Pre-cut samples in little paper cups with toothpicks are fine.
• We'll set up a shared handwashing station in the market area (water jug, soap, paper towels). Please use it.
• Keep food covered and off the ground. A tablecloth helps.
• Bring your own table and any coolers you need — but remember, nothing that needs refrigeration is allowed anyway.

Running a local business?

That's fine — please tick the "I'm a local business" box on the form below, and give Fox & Maple a call or WhatsApp on +1 (250) 574-0024 to have a quick chat first. We want to make sure there's room and that it fits the feel of the day.

A few practical things

• Bring whatever works for you to set up — a blanket on the grass, a folding table, or a small pop-up tent are all welcome.
• Doors open for set-up at 11:00 AM, and the market runs from noon to 4:00 PM. Rolling in a little early gives you time to settle in before the first guests arrive.
• Anything that doesn't find a new home at the end of the day goes back with you — we'd rather you keep your things than leave them behind.
• We'd love a hand keeping the grounds tidy — if you could pack out any trash from your table, that'd be really appreciated.
• Your table, your treasures — please keep an eye on your own belongings, as we can't take responsibility for anything that goes missing or gets bumped.

Fill this out and we'll get back to you to confirm. We're keeping the market small, so a handful of spots will go to the first neighbours who sign up.

Website (leave this blank)

Your name *

Which community are you from? *

Phone number *

Email (optional)

What will you be bringing? *

How will you display your things? *

Blanket on the ground Small table Small pop-up tent

I'm bringing home-prepared food items (jam, honey, baked goods, etc).

Please confirm you've read the food rules above and that your food is on the allowed list. If it's not, we'll have to turn it away at the door, which is awkward for everyone.

I've read the BC food rules above. My items are on the allowed list, I'll label them as shown, and I understand that anything not on the list will be turned away on the day. *

I'm a local business — I'll call Fox & Maple on +1 (250) 574-0024 to confirm.

Add me to the WhatsApp group for vendor coordination and event updates.

Anything else we should know? (optional)

I've read the guidelines above. I understand: no bulky junk, no new retail resale, and I'll take home anything I don't sell. *

Sign me up