Women entrepreneurs front and centre at Fredericton 'pop-up shop' showcase

Women entrepreneurs from across New Brunswick were front and centre at a ‘pop-up shop’ showcase on Sunday.

Women in Business New Brunswick hosted the exhibit of over 40 entrepreneurs inside Fredericton’s Regent Mall. 

“We help women who are either already in business, or want to be in business,” said Rebecca Preston, director of Women in Business New Brunswick. “We offer training, mentorship, and one-on-one counselling to women who want to see their business dreams progress.”

Preston said the non-profit organization’s goal was to provide support at every stage of an entrepreneur’s journey.

“Women entrepreneurs often face additional barriers in terms of finding financing for their businesses,” she said.” We also see that women often have a much higher load in terms of family responsibilities.”

Displays at the showcase offered an array of local, artisan products and services.

Alyssa Green has been beading for nearly 20 years and was selling beaded dream catchers at the pop-up event – each of which took about 22 hours to craft.

“I always am looking for the next big opportunity to show off my work, so they make that happen for us,” said Green. “It’s a big deal.”

The non-profit organization planned the showcase to provide entrepreneurs a high-traffic location for their products, as well as deliver an environment for peer-to-peer networking.

“We’re all here to support each other in a safe space,” said Nacole Charlie, Women in Business New Brunswick’s Indigenous development officer. “It’s nice to see other women helping other women.”

“There’s a way, there’s support, we’re here to listen, we’re here to learn with you, and we can all do it. We can all have a piece of the economy.”

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