A celebration of Manitoulin Island business: Manitoulin Trade Fair showcases established and new businesses.

• Author: McKinley, Karen
• Position: NEWS

A biennial tradition on Manitoulin Island is changing its focus.

The 2017 Manitoulin Trade Fair attracted the usual large crowds to the NEMI Recreation Centre in Little Current to check out 125 vendor booths and tables of local and regional businesses and service groups.

As the eighth fair in 15 years, its theme is changing from catering to local residents to appealing to more of the cottage crowd at the outset of the summer tourism season.

"We wanted to change the fair to attract the people who are probably starting the summer by opening their cottages on the Island," said manager Michael Addison on May 27.

"We get people from Sudbury and I had one man from Kitchener who came up because he heard of it.

"This fair really is about making people aware of the businesses and services that are available on the Island. They don't necessarily have to leave to go shopping, or stock up before coming here. We have a great variety of industry and business here."

Event organizers also reach out to Indigenous-owned and operated businesses on the Island.

Addison said they have Your Dollar Store with More from Wikwemikong, Wikwemikong Tourism, Waubetek Business Development Corporation, Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute/Contact North, and Great Spirit Circle Trail, which offers nature-based and cultural tourism packages.

Addison said the businesses that come to the fair measure their success by their own standards.

It's not just about sales or the names they collect; it's an opportunity to see others and understand the region is a cluster of small communities that can benefit from working with each other.

"Service groups are here to spread awareness, and the businesses could have no sales, or it could be up to 30 per cent of their annual sales.

"They could sell out or nothing at all," Addison said. "We have car dealerships here and if they sell a car, it's a huge success for them."

One business that's been a cornerstone vendor at the fair since the beginning is Manitoulin Chrysler in Mindemoya.

Owner Wayne Legge said his father started having a booth at the fair and he came along and started working for his father.

For Legge, the show isn't about selling cars, but letting people know...