A holiday market inside Innovation Works brought together local artisans, social enterprises and community members on Wednesday afternoon, offering Londoners a chance to shop with purpose as the festive season begins.
The annual Meaningful Market, hosted by the Pillar Nonprofit Network, welcomed vendors whose products are rooted in social impact, sustainability or community building. Tables filled the ground floor of Innovation Works at 201 King St., where visitors browsed handmade gifts, food products and environmentally conscious items.
Pillar’s CEO, Maureen Cassidy, said the event gives people a different kind of holiday shopping experience. “The Meaningful Market is an annual market that we host here in our co-working space,” she said. “We invite local vendors and artisans to set up their goods and give people something a little different for their holiday shopping.”
Among the vendors was Chengye Yang, founder of ReGrain, a startup that creates upcycled products using food that would otherwise be discarded. Yang displayed butternut squash seed butter made from vegetable byproducts, solid dish soap produced with reclaimed cooking oil and handcrafted soaps made with juice pulp and spent grains. She said her research background in chemical engineering inspired her to experiment with food byproducts and develop environmentally responsible products.
Yang first learned about Innovation Works through a course at Western University and said the market aligned with her values as a social enterprise founder. She also participates in other local markets and sees events like this as a way to connect with the community.
The market also drew long-time supporters of the space, including Carl Cadogan, founding director of Pillar Nonprofit Network. Cadogan said he attends events at Innovation Works because of the sense of community the organization has built over the years. He described the atmosphere as relaxed and energetic, adding that the small market size makes it easy for people to talk, browse and discover products such as honey and handmade chocolates.
Inside Pillar’s leadership team, downtown concerns and business pressures are crucial. Maria Luisa Contersi, vice president of network and engagement, said Innovation Works has maintained strong occupancy even as downtown vacancy rates remain high. She noted that while downtown office space sits around 35 per cent occupancy, Innovation Works has remained between 85 and 90 per cent in recent years due to its focus on community, inclusion and collaboration.
