Baked treats, candles, clay jewelry and skin care products were some of the goods featured at the Female Founders Street Market on March 31 at Carleton University.
Fifteen women-owned local businesses and more than a hundred shoppers filled the Innovation Hub, a space on the main floor of the Nicol Building.
In honour of Women’s History Month coming to an end, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Womxn’s Centre collaborated with Hatch—the association’s student-led business incubator—and the Innovation Hub to organize the event.
“We hope [this event] spreads awareness of the businesses that are out there so that hopefully students continue to purchase products from them,” said Aminah Derman, administrative coordinator of the Womxn’s Centre.
According to a recent study by Freshbooks, women-owned businesses are taking twice as long to financially recover from the pandemic than their male counterparts.
Derman said the vendors did not have to pay to participate in the market.
“We recognize that especially during COVID-19 small businesses took a hit. Female employment took a huge hit as well,” she said.
Wafflie Pops is an Ottawa-based online business selling a variety of handmade treats, from cheesecake-stuffed waffle cones to dipped chocolate bananas.
Launched in June of last year, owner Leitithia Rosier said her love for sweets inspired the creation of this business.
“I like anything that’s dipped in chocolate, so why not waffles?” she said. “It’s breakfast dessert.”
She said she was “very happy” to have been invited to the market.
“It’s an opportunity for me to get more people to know about my business,” Rosier said.
Some Carleton student vendors were also present. Melissa Ella Pole, visual artist and PhD candidate in Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton, showcased her colorful canvas prints and cards.
“I think COVID has particularly hit women hard. It’s nice for us to connect and revamp our businesses,” Pole said.
While she’s been painting for about 15 years, Pole said she started her online business in 2017.
“I’ve been in school for a long time. For me, art has been an escape from academia,” she said.
Another local vendor was Shay Khogali, owner of Shay’s Kitchen. When the pandemic began in 2020, Khogali said she got laid off from her job as a breakfast chef. Using her passion for cooking, she started her own business that same year.
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Shay’s Kitchen offers goodies like samosas, cheesecake jars and brownies. Khogali also offers catering services through Shay’s Kitchen.
She said her inspiration comes from her family.
“Cooking was always a big staple in our life,” she said. “My mom was very much into hosting and just being that person that always has food at home.”
Patricia Bebia Mawa, executive vice-president of Silvertrust Media, closed the event with a presentation on “fostering female entrepreneurship.” Mawa also hosts and produces Planet Africa Television show, a weekly series broadcast on OMNI TV.
She spoke about key issues women entrepreneurs face, such as gender bias and lack of support.
“Sometimes as a woman, you have dreams and you share with your family members but they just want to restrict you to the gender role,” Mawa said. “They want you to be the one taking care of the family.”
She said one way to support women in business is through mentorship and “creating spaces for women to be able to bounce ideas, support each other and invest in each other’s businesses.”
Featured image provided.
