If it’s fall, it must mean it’s time for the return of One World Bazaar.
After two years of upheaval and adjusting to fit the realities of a pandemic world, the mother-and-daughter team of Anneka and Peggy Bakker were finally able to travel again in search of handcrafted items for the Bakker family’s unique shop-in-a-barn at Manotick Station.
Visiting artisans in Thailand, Mexico, Egypt and the Dominican Republic, they have gathered fresh supplies of home decor, clothing, jewelry, furniture and more to restock the sprawling barn.
“This year was a bit of a roller coaster,” they say in a press release announcing One World Bazaar’s 2022 season. Some stops had to be cancelled or shifted — including Sri Lanka and Vietnam — but they were able to visit Egypt for the first time in more than a decade.
“It felt like the right time to return,” says Anneka. “COVID made it difficult to go back to Morocco, but having someone on the ground in Egypt (a family friend) really made it easy to jump right back where we left off a decade ago.”
The Bakkers work directly with artisans, developing relationships with them over the past 41 years. “The artisans are ultimately what One World Bazaar is all about,” they say.
This year’s bazaar will be open for eight weekends from Sept. 29 to Nov. 20. For the first three weeks, the bazaar is open Thursday to Sunday (as well as Thanksgiving Monday). After that, it’s open Friday to Sunday. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. on the Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Thanksgiving Monday, and 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
Artisan items include Talavera and terracotta ceramics and pottery from Mexico and several items from Thailand, such as sari patchwork and funky linen clothing, mango wood pieces (using a technique where they shock the wood creating a tree-like pattern) and sono wood consoles. You’ll also find Caribbean jewelry; Egyptian alabaster marble tea lights and vases; brass hanging pendant lampshades, kilim rugs, leather poufs, unique hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments and so much more.
The weekends will also feature onsite events, such as the Indonesian Embassy providing cultural performances and food offerings Oct. 13-14 and an Indigenous-themed weekend with workshops, artisans and entertainment Oct. 22-23.
Find out more at oneworldbazaar.ca.
