Kitchener, Ont., Christmas market cancelled after organizer gambles away vendor deposits

Around 200 local vendors are scrambling after an upcoming Christmas market was cancelled because the event organizer lost their deposit money.

The third annual It’s A Christmas Market was scheduled for Nov. 12 at Bingemans in Kitchener, Ont. On Thursday, vendors found out it was cancelled when event planner Stacy Cliff, who operates Stacy’s Events, posted on a private Facebook page saying she lost their money.

“It is with my most profound apologies that my mental health addiction compiled with my absolute selfishness has created a storm I cannot control,” Cliff said in the post.

“So many of you have followed me, had faith and trusted me through good and bad events. I’ve taken that trust, and wors[e], your money, and have done the very worst I can do, which is not putting it where it belongs.”

In a phone interview with CTV News, Cliff confirmed she lost the money through gambling.

“I don’t know what happened. It all just snowballed. I kept thinking that I’d spend $100 here, $100 there and I’d be able to get a big win and put it all back. And that never happened,” Cliff said.

Cliff has been in event planning for three years and has previously worked with some of the vendors that had signed up for past editions of the event.

Stacy Cliff talks to CTV News during a past market. (File photo/CTV Kitchener)

“I’m terribly sorry. I know that that won’t fix anything, that won’t give them any money back. It means nothing to most probably, but that’s all I can say,” Cliff said.

Cliff said she never made any deposit to Bingemans for the event. She estimates she lost around $20,000 to $30,000 in total, but doesn’t know the exact number.

VENDORS OUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS

Vendors paid approximately $100 to $200 each to secure spaces at the event. On top of that, many say they’re out hundreds more in stock they’re been preparing for months.

Tricia Teves, who creates resin products for her business Dream Creations, has worked with Cliff before. She said she paid $150 for her spot in the market, but is out much more than that.

“The evenings I spent away from my kids, the time I take away from my regular job and put money into this. Resin is not cheap,” Teves said. “Everything I had been working on until that point was for nothing.”

“To make the investment to try and make a go of this side hustle, which so many of us are doing, it’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dollars I’ve spent that I was counting on making back before Christmas.”

Author Jody Swannell is among around 200 vendors who were planning to attend the market. (Submitted)

Vendors are now left to figure out what to do with their inventory, as most other Christmas markets have been fully booked for months.

"There's a Christmas book coming out that I had planned for this event, and I had bought a bunch of material to make book sleeves with Christmas sleeves and Christmas book charms and stuff like that," author Jody Swannell said.

"It was an emotional reaction for sure. I was very disappointed, upset, confused."

Bingemans declined CTV News’ request for comment.

HOPES MARKET CAN STILL HAPPEN

Vendors are hoping there’s a way the market can still happen.

Nicole Franzkowiak of Night Ravens Designs is part of that effort.

“There were about 175 to 200 vendors who were supposed to attend this market – so all of us have lost out on that money, our time and effort to go into this and if we can’t gain our table back and our spot, we lose out on making that money back,” she said.

“My blood boiled because I personally am a mom of five and this was my chance of making a little extra income for them for Christmas, not only has this taken away from me – but my kids as well,” said Nicole Franzkowiak of Night Ravens Designs.

Franzkowiak said she was shocked when she saw Cliff's post that the market has been cancelled.

“My blood boiled because I personally am a mom of five and this was my chance of making a little extra income for them for Christmas, not only has this taken away from me – but my kids as well.”

The vendors are now trying to work with Bingemans to pay the events venue directly to stage another Christmas market on Nov. 12, Franzkowiak said.

“That a lot of us are trying to band together to continue it is kind of reassuring, not everybody is giving up yet,” she said.

They’re also compiling a file to report to police and take to small claims court.