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Forks shopping offers locally made gift ideas

WINNIPEG – Soapstone carvers, bakers and painters. There aren’t too many places in Winnipeg where all of these creators are under one roof, which makes the Forks Market a unique shopping destination.

“A lot of people and a lot of tourists come here, so it’s a great place to sell my work,” said Melvin Traverse, who carves soapstone sculptures. The second floor has a variety of artists creating pieces while visitors watch.

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One of those artists is Kevin McKay, who blows glass into custom made Christmas ornaments at Bayshore Gifts and Glass.

“It’s a first Christmas for a young man called Connor,” said the artist as he worked on the ornament. “I am also making a shamrock to go with it.”

The local products and smaller lineups give them a chance to really get to know their customers, vendors said.

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“We know their names and we know they products they’ve bought,” said Sherry Sobey at Generation Green. “That’s really important to us, to know our customers.”

Shoppers told Global News they prefer the relaxed atmosphere of spending the day at The Forks rather than a bustling mall.

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