Kitchener Christmas market back on after original organizer gambled away vendor deposits

A Christmas market scheduled for Nov. 12 in Kitchener has been revived, days after the original organizer abruptly cancelled the event because she lost the vendor deposits through gambling.

The third annual “It’s Christmas Market” at Bingemans was called off last week.

Event organizer Stacy Cliff posted to social media, saying the event and a second one she had planned, were cancelled because she lost the money given to her by vendors.

She confirmed to CTV News that she lost the money gambling.

The cancellation left dozens of vendors scrambling to figure out what to do with their inventory, not to mention the months of planning that went into the market. Some were worried they’d be out hundreds of dollars right before the holiday season.

“A lot of people rely on this for Christmas money, and even just to get through the rest of their year,” Jordan Butler, one of the new organizers, said. “Some take a long time to get ready for this, so we just felt awful.”

Some new organizers have found a way for the market to proceed despite challenges with licences, permits and funding.

The event is now branded as "A Holiday Market."

“We have the licensing, the permits [and] the insurance,” said Butler.

He said there are still a lot of questions.

“Just finding out where all the payments from all these vendors [went] – who made payments? How much did they pay? What were they promised? What weren’t they promised?”

According to a social media post, local businesses have stepped up to help cover costs and items needed for the day of the event.

“We definitely thought we’d have some people reach out and help in ways that they could, but the support that we got was overwhelming,” Butler said.

New organizers said the majority of the vendors who were signed up for the original market have signed up again, but they are still waiting for some to get in touch.

The vendors don’t have to pay another entry fee, but they are asked to show the new organizers their receipts from their original payment.

“We’re really making sure that the vendors that actually got ripped off in this instance are the ones that are benefitting before anybody else,” Keith Relf, an organizer and operator of Howling Moose, said.

“A Holiday Market” will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Bingemans. There will be a $2 entry fee at the door, and people are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the food bank.

“I hope that it just kind of opens everybody’s hearts and puts a smile on people’s faces,” organizer Sierra Gregorio, who also runs Sili Sie Company, said.

“It’s almost like a Christmas miracle.”

CTV News reached out to Bingemans for comment and but has not yet received a response.