Our show has earned a reputation for quality — and unfortunately, that puts us on the radar of scammers who use our name to lend themselves legitimacy and profit at our community’s expense.
Every year for the past several years, companies with no connection to us have pretended to be affiliated with our show in order to scam money from our makers and shoppers. We do our best to stay ahead of it and keep our community informed.
This year they’re starting early — typically we don’t see this until July, but here we are. The current scam is coming from a company based in Florida. To be absolutely clear: they have zero connection to us, our show, or Canada.
They’re sending emails offering accommodation at local hotels using our event name to make it look legit. It is not. We do not work with foreign booking companies. We will never send accommodation booking links through a third party. These emails are either outright phishing scams or sneaky “legitimate” bookings loaded with hidden fees padding their pockets.
If it didn’t come directly from us, don’t click it.
Don’t share personal or financial information.
Don’t hit “unsubscribe” — that just confirms your email address to the scammers.
When we have official show details and info to share, it will come directly from our verified account , and/or be on our official website— same as always.
How did they get your email address?
If they sent you an email, this is probably your first question — and we want to be upfront with you: there has been no breach of our database. Your information was not taken from us.
These companies just scour the internet for local makers in our area — social media profiles, market directories, craft fair listings, business websites, anywhere your name and email might appear publicly. They cast as wide a net as possible, grabbing any email they can find for people who might plausibly be interested in booking a hotel near our show. They don’t verify or refine their list — which is why you might get one of these emails even if you live five minutes from the venue. They simply don’t know, and they don’t care.
Unfortunately this may not be the last one we see before the show. Scammers pull event info off the internet and count on people not paying close attention. That’s not us. We look out for each other.
So please — stay alert, not just for our show but for any local events you follow. If something looks suspicious, reach out. I’ll always do my best to help protect our community.
Thanks for staying vigilant and supporting local makers. 
— Miranda
(Show Director)