After selling every last one of the tapestries made for the town’s centennial in 2003, the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce is aiming to bring them back again this year.
Chamber officer manager Dawn Booth said yesterday the initiative has been in discussion by the Chamber’s events, projects, and marketing committee and now only has to be officially approved by the board of directors on Feb. 26.
Booth explained the reasoning behind bringing the tapestries back.
“The first time was very successful. We only ordered 150 originally, didn’t really do any promotion on it, and we managed to sell out right around Christmas that year,” she recalled.
“For the next couple years, we had people continually asking if we had any left, or if we could do a re-order or whatnot,” Booth added. “The demand was definitely out there and we should have acted on it at that time.
“But we decided to wait a bit.”
Booth said the committee has been talking about having more tapestries made to sell for about a year.
“Originally we were completely going to re-design it—come up with a new design and new tagline,” she remarked. “Then we thought, because the last one was so successful and people are still asking for it, we would continue with [the same design].
“The pictures on it are pretty ‘Fort Frances,’” explained Booth. “But we’ll change the tagline and tie it into the museum heritage tourism plan.
“It will be very similar. The layout, the pictures, everything will be the same.” she stressed. “Just where it says ‘A Century of Prosperity and Promise’ will be changed. It will now say ‘Fort Frances, Ontario—Discover Our History.’”
While the price has not been confirmed yet, Booth said they won’t cost more than $100—the same amount people paid for them back in 2003.
If everything goes to plan, the tapestries will be available at the 20th-annual home and leisure show, which is slated for May 2-3 at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“Mother’s Day is the following weekend,” Booth noted, hinting the tapestries would make an ideal gift idea.
In related news, the Chamber has sent out exhibitor packages to about 300 businesses in Northwestern Ontario, urging them to register for the upcoming home and leisure show.
Businesses that did not receive a package, but want to learn more about how the event can benefit them, can visit www.fortfranceschamber.com or contact the Chamber office at 274-5773.
The trade show, bearing the tagline “Improve Your Home, Enhance Your Life,” will be open from 4-9 p.m. on Friday, May 2 and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Besides a wide variety of exhibitors, the show also will likely have a children’s area, featuring face-painting, toys, games, and colouring, as well as the ever-popular “chem-free” grad cake roulette.
There also will be food for sale, samples, draws, contests, a penny auction, and much more.
Fort Frances Times
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