Stampede mini-mall offers everything from gadgets to lingerie

You can’t blame business owner Altheia Oswald for smiling these days.

This is her first year operating her Exotic Moments Lingerie booth at the Stampede Market in the BMO Centre during the 10-day Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Well, for thousands of people, the market offers not only an opportunity to seek shelter during hot days or stormy days but it’s also a haven for shoppers looking for a deal.

Everything from gadgets to yes even lingerie can be found in the 150,000-square-foot mini-mall — a smaller version of Calgary’s Chinook Centre or any other popular shopping centre in the city.

And the Calgary Stampede has become big business for small businesses who were fortunate enough to secure a spot in the BMO Centre this year.

“It’s been busy,� says Oswald, whose business has been around for four years. “It’s been online but we’re adding a storefront.

She relishing the thought of all those people who will be strolling through the mini-mall.

“It’s going to be a lot of exposure for my business,� she adds with no pun intended.

Also for the 200-plus other businesses on the site.

Imagine a potential customer base of about 100,000 each day — or over one million people over a 10-day period. It’s mind-boggling to think of the amount of exposure businesses are getting during this period.

Allison Wright, midway programming manager for the Calgary Stampede, says the organization starts taking applications for Stampede Market in November. It starts confirming the successful ones in January with space being selected in April.

Each year, the Stampede also brings in new programming and will have unique retailers connected with that theme. This year it’s The Beach.

“We certainly look at the products and the quality of products and their presentations,� says Wright.

The key is finding a variety of different retailers. Much like you would see in a mall. The vendors are charged a flat rate for leasing out space at the Stampede Market. And they come from all over. For some, the Stampede is the only event where they’ll sell their wares. For others, it’s part of a circuit they’re on.

“For some, it’s the key to their business revenues for the year,� explains Wright of the lucrative nature of the Stampede.

Myke Stoel, of the Barn Dance booth from Winnipeg, has made the journey to Calgary for eight years to set up his operation during the 10-day extravaganza.

“We started pretty small actually. It was mainly just the little miniature guitars and the record clocks,� he says. “But we just keep expanding mainly because our customers asks us for stuff.�

Stoel operates a retail store in Winnipeg in the Forks, the main tourist spot there.

“Calgary is kind of like having a second Christmas actually. We always refer to it as our second Christmas and we probably lose as much hair at this one as the real Christmas.

“It’s great. Since we’re not from here, we have a ton of regulars and we know a lot of people actually just will pay the gate just to come in to add to their collection with the guitars.�

mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com

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