Vendors of a cancelled Christmas craft market in Abbotsford are speaking out after not receiving their refunds and not being able to reach the organizer.
The Krafted Handmade Christmas Market was slated to take place Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 at the Ag-Rec Building at Abbotsford Exhibition Park and was being organized by Kelowna resident Ange Eely of Krafted Canada.
The market had been advertised mainly on Facebook, with application forms available on the Krafted Canada website. Table rentals ranged from $150 to almost $500.
Two of the vendors who contacted The Abbotsford News estimated that up to 100 of the tables had been booked when a post on an artisan-related Facebook page on Nov. 6 from a friend of Eely’s indicated the event was being cancelled due to her requiring “emergency surgery.”
Another post indicated that an email would be sent out when Eely was recovered, and she would offer vendors a choice of a refund or a move to another Krafted Canada market in 2024.
The News has been in contact with five vendors, all of whom requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal. They say they have never received an email about the cancellation or about refunds nor have they been able to reach Eely.
The Krafted Canada website and Eely’s private Facebook page have been taken down, emails have bounced back, phone calls have not been answered, and private messages have not been returned.
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“She has disabled all contact methods and ghosted everyone,” one vendor said.
The Abbotsford News has also attempted to contact Eely at four email addresses – two of which bounced back – and by text message, and has not heard back from her.
The News also sent a list of questions to her friend, but he has not been able to reach Eely either.
City spokesperson Aletta Vanderheyden confirmed that the Christmas market had been booked and the full rate had been paid.
According to the city’s price list, rental for the Ag-Rec Building is $3,102 per day – amounting to $12,408 for the four-day market – plus a $500 security deposit.
One of the Facebook posts addressing the cancellation indicates that $16,000 was spent on the hall rental and another $10,300 was spent for “pipe and drape.”
The post states that the refunds to the vendors can’t be processed until Eely gets back the money that she has paid for the event.
But Vanderheyden said nobody has contacted the city to cancel the Christmas market. Without a cancellation, the city cannot issue a refund.
She said once a cancellation is made, it usually takes two to three weeks for the refund process to be complete.
The city requires 90 days’ notice of an event cancellation, but Vanderheyden said exceptions can be made.
“If a situation arises that requires special consideration, the City of Abbotsford will work directly with the event organizer if they contact us,” she said.
The vendors – who mainly run small home-based businesses – say some people have been sympathetic to Eely’s apparent health situation, but some question why her website would be taken down and why prior forms of contact no longer work.
They also wonder why, if she is still recovering, she hasn’t designated someone else to respond to their questions and concerns.
One vendor who paid almost $400 for a table rental says being out the money is particularly a hardship at this time of year for her and her husband.
“Nothing that we have learned makes sense. We have been left in the dark on if – and when – we will ever see that money again. It’s put a sour taste in our mouths and definitely made us more wary of the markets we choose to be a part of,” she said.
The vendor said the participating businesses just want answers.
Eely cancelled a previous market in Abbotsford in September – also for “emergency surgery” – but vendors have indicated that they did receive refunds at that time.
Online searches indicate that Eely has past connections to Mill Bay on Vancouver Island. She also held markets in West Kelowna, Aldergrove and Fort Langley.
According to an online search, she previously operated under the West Coast Makers Collective (renamed Makers Mafia).
