SUPPORT LOCAL CONT.
Kelsey Marcotte (LEFT) and Alanna Keefe of WeMB. PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
times of economic uncertainty, supporting the local economy is essential to survival.” However, while Mikulak of FabMB is the first to fully support local brands, he says it’s not a standalone solution. “It’s important that Canadians participate in this kind of thing — buy Manitoba, buy local. We’ve been promoting that for decades, but we have to be a little bit careful about it as well,” he warns.
“It creates jobs, reduces reliance on suppliers external to our province and creates a diverse marketplace for Manitobans to thrive,” she says. “We’ve seen this surge of ‘support local’ before — the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst, launching the term into our everyday vocabulary, but small- and medium-sized business owners have been shouting it from the rooftops for decades. In
“Manitoba has a strong sense of community, especially among women and entrepreneurs, and the [buy local] sentiment is deepening connections both within the ecosystem and with consumers.” — Kelsey Marcotte, digital and content marketing specialist for WeMB
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SUMMER 2025
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