Homemade Saskatchewan was a pop-up market for the past five years, but on April 1, it got a new home at Northgate Mall.

The shop gives local artists and creators a spot to display their products permanently. Co-owners Janelle Anderson and Christine Euteneier wanted to make shopping local easier.

“There’s just so many options here that you won’t find in other stores,” said Anderson. “It just helps showcase more of Saskatchewan’s handmade vendors.”

“When you buy something here, you are putting food on the table for one of your neighbours right here,” said Euteneier.

When Handmade Saskatchewan was a market, it had more than 500 vendors. But now that they have limited space in the store, the owners knew they had to narrow down the selection. Now they have work from around 50 vendors on display in the store.

"We actually have a waiting list of vendors waiting to come in. We won't double up, so if we have a product already, we won't take in another vendor that does the same items," said Euteneier.

One of the vendor’s chosen to be showcased in the store is Julia Dima, who owns Folk and Fan Woodburning and Art. Her work is not only unique to the store but to the mall as well.

"The great thing about a store is that my product is always here, people can always come and look at it,” said Dima. “The fact that in a shopping mall, we're disrupting the made-in-china, made-in-Indonesia culture with handmade stuff made right here by your neighbours in Saskatchewan is really great.”

The store is still in the early stages of development, but the owners are looking forward to offering more prairie products in the near future.

Based on a report by Stefanie Davis