About Us
Scattered Seeds Inc, has been hosting craft markets since 1995. We evolved from a humble home based sale to what we are today. We are proud of what we do and continue to strive to provide a quality show honouring crafters and artists from across the country. Scattered Seeds Inc. is proudly owned and operated by Manitobans.
From a Humble Home Sale
Around 35 years ago, after taking a country folk art painting class, two sisters – Deb & Lynda – realized they had a knack for crafting. After reaching out to a few of their friends who were also creatively minded, they all decided to hold a small craft sale in Deb’s living room. Their initial intention was to make a little extra money for Christmas presents, however, after a couple of successful years and guerrilla marketing ‘campaigns’ (like handing out flyers tucked in with Halloween candy), the beginnings of something much bigger began to emerge. The original Scattered Seeds five amassed additional vendors from the community, and soon over 600 women were dropping by the living-room shop, buying each other’s crafts, visiting old friends, and making new connections.
The sale quickly outgrew Deb’s East St Paul home, and in 1995 the first official ‘Scattered Seeds Craft Market’ was held at the Transcona Country Club. The market was such a hit, the parking lot overflowed, and cars were lined up and down the highway. Realizing a bigger venue was needed, and fast, Scattered Seeds moved to the Assiniboia Downs, where it was held until 2010. Outgrowing this space, it moved on to its current venue, the Red River Exhibition Place.
Throughout all the changes of the past 27 years, the heart and purpose of Scattered Seeds have remained the same. We aim to uplift and support the women and creative folks in our community, providing them with a platform to showcase their artistry and bring their ideas and products to market. It has been an honour to play a small part in so many makers’ journeys over the years, and we look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.
Why We Do What We Do
We love to…
• Celebrate, support and encourage creativity.
• Help others grow and succeed in their business.
• Support small business in Manitoba by providing a reasonably priced venue for artists and crafters to display and sell their work.
• Foster community.
• Have a fun event!
Meet the Team
Deb
Meet Deb - the driving force behind Scattered Seeds. She was one of the original five who held the very first (soon-to-be-known-as) Scattered Seeds Craft Market in her living room in 1988, and hasn’t left its side since!
She loves to nurture creativity in herself and others, to find new ways to make ideas happen, and to uplift and care for those around her. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who redecorates their living room as often as she does (think bi-weekly), or who knows how to nap as hard as she works.
Deb is a strong believer in what Scattered Seeds stands for - that is, creativity, resourcefulness, and determination. She has a great love for the maker community and will forever be grateful for the friendships she has found within it.
Over the years, Deb has realized that empowering women is one of her greatest passions in life and she has been honoured to watch Scattered Seeds grow and evolve while always keeping this purpose at its heart.
Emily
I’m Emily, our market coordinator and Deb’s daughter.
I have the warmest memories of running around the Assiniboia Downs as a child, playing hide and seek behind booths, and seeing familiar friendly faces each year. I was always so proud to be an official “Scattered Seedling” and even had my mom make me a name tag so I could feel like part of the show.
It might be the cozy lighting, or the lovely smells of beeswax, wood, and soap, or the excitement of being around other people (or more than likely, a blend of all three), but Scattered Seeds has something undeniably special about it. It has been so cool to see how things have progressed over the years - I must say that I am very proud of my mom.
Scattered Seeds has been an important part of our family for my entire life, and has become something of a Winnipeg institution! I consider myself very lucky to get to play a part in its continuing legacy.