Faces Behind the Façades: Bazaar Artisan Market
Author: Wendy Russell-Sheppard
Wendy is an award-winning local author. Her creative non-fiction work was featured in an American publication “Tales2Inspire: the Opal Collection” edited by Lois Stern. Her most recent work is “Storied: Chronicles by the Circle of Six”, a memoir collaboration with five other local authors, and is available at the Bazaar Artisan Market in Downtown Belleville.
In this blog series, we’ll pull back the entrepreneurial curtain to meet the faces behind the façades in our Downtown District.
Are you looking for those perfect gifts? Are you interested in making a difference? Well, you’ve come to the right place on both counts. Check out the Downtown District and follow the lead of people who are making a difference right now—our intrepid entrepreneurs who operate independent businesses while preserving our history. They provide a vibrant, compact, walkable hub for shopping, dining, and personal services as well as residential opportunities for people wanting to feather a downtown nest.
Allow me to introduce Kaya Pereira, the owner/operator of Bazaar Artisan Market located at 318 Front Street.
Born and raised in Belleville, Kaya was the shy one growing up, quickly labeled a nerd. Unfazed, she spent most of her time beside her grandmother, Jolyn Grieve, who helped establish the Belleville Art Association. Kaya was her assistant when she taught fine arts classes in the 90s at Loyalist College, Glanmore House and other venues. She took great pride in handing out brushes and canvasses to the attendees—a little one keen on learning the family biz. Coming from a long line of strong, creative minds with generations of knowledge, she did a lot of listening and learning.
A young Kaya was fortunate to spend her days in nature learning about flora and fauna while honing her painting skills at the family cottage in Muskoka.
When grandmother Jolyn was a teacher at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Kaya continued to learn from her. Kaya’s great-grandfather, Clifton W. Greer, had been a teacher there, having studied under Arthur Lismer and James McDonald, founding members of the Group of Seven, Fred Haines and Lawrence Panton, whose works hang in the National Gallery of Canada.
Clifton was a good friend of Tom Thompson, the most influential and popular Canadian artist of the early 1900s. They would portage together. Rumour has it that Clifton was supposed to go with Tom to Algonquin Park on that ill-fated canoe trip which claimed his life.
Kaya cherishes the gift of many such stories passed from one generation to the next—an extraordinary legacy.
Kaya’s working on her own legacy in the Downtown District and describes it best. “Artistry is the torch I carry.”
Her market is designed to create a clear and meaningful path for creatives to sell at the price point they want in an engaging shop. Together with Kaya, they work on brand presence in a mini-storefront retail space designed for growth.
Shoppers appreciate both the quality and diversity of the goods in the store. If you’re searching for unique finds, this is the place.
Displays change regularly and her newsletter keeps you on top of the latest offerings. Kaya posts profiles of her vendors on her website. It’s worth a visit to bazaarartisanmarket.ca.
Kaya offers opportunities for youth to further their creative genius through engaging workshops and a space to showcase their artwork. What an inspired way to secure the future of up-and-coming artisans. Grandmother Jolyn would be proud.
Speaking of workshops, check out these beauties from a recent ornament painting experience.
During this season of giving, Kaya is one of many retailers participating in the Downtown District Gift Card shopping option. This allows in-store shopping at all participating merchants.
Ah—gift cards—always the right size and the right colour. That’s a win-win in my books.
The Bazaar Artisan Market, as part of our family of entrepreneurs in the Downtown District, offers an opportunity to celebrate our past and build the present to ensure a hometown future created by all of us.
And if you want your hard-earned dollars to go three times farther by staying in our local community, come, be a part of it.
Think legacy. Shop locally.
