The Third World Bazaar is a family business that purchases products from around the developing world and sells directly to consumers in the Ottawa area. We operate a Bazaar over a six week period where our products are sold in a large barn, with a festive atmosphere. This event is called the Third World Bazaar. We bring to our customers a wide range of exotic and interesting home décor, garden, musical instruments, art, furniture, and much more.
We buy the majority of our products directly from the Artisans and Craftsmen in the source country. We maintain very low operational costs, allowing us to pay fair prices to the producers, buy in reasonable volume, maintain product variety and remove expensive middlemen. Core to our business success is maintaining a good relationship with our suppliers, paying them a good, fair rate and providing advice on changing trends in Canada. Many of our suppliers have been selling to The East Asia Company for over 20 years.
The Third World Bazaar is a family operated business, run by Peggy & Dick Bakker, together with their children; Case and Anneka. Up to 2003, the business had been operated in the Kingston area by Paul and Evelyn Gervan (Peggy’s brother). In 2004 the business moved to Manotick Station, but with the same model of direct purchasing and destination, event retailing.
The business is situated next to Bakker’s General Store (operated by Henry Bakker), where you can find a wide range of European deli products and wonderful food.
The following photos and audio clips will give you a feel for the delights awaiting you at the Bazaar! Visit Manotick Station and have a world shopping experience.
Click below for an audio introduction to the Bazaar, from Peggy Bakker:
Doing Something About Plastics!
The major disappointment of our travels around the world has been the amount of refuse and garbage that we see. It is everywhere; and those rare instances where it is minimized, the absence of waste is profound!
We attempt, wherever possible, to reuse and recycle whatever we can. When purchasing product at the Bazaar, you will notice that our staff will often package your goods in reused boxes or bags, non-plastic bags and reused paper. We hope you appreciate that we are attempting to reduce our waste, manage our costs and keep your prices as low as possible. All the while protecting your purchase for the trip home.
Our recent trip to Kenya was very insightful. In the summer of 2017, Kenya banned all plastic bags. The impact on the country has been dramatic. There is much less garbage in the countryside, the streets are cleaner and animals/fish are not digesting (as much) plastic.
In 2018, the Bazaar will provide the re-useable bags that have replaced plastic bags in Kenya. We hope that you find many uses for them.
Some Painful Facts:
The plastic bag was invented on April 27, 1965.
Each year, between 500million and 1trillion bags are produced.
Only 1 in 200 are recycled (according to the US Environmental Protection Agency)
Dates
- Sept 29, 30, Oct 1 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Oct 6, 7, 8, 9 (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon) Thanksgiving
- Oct 13, 14, 15 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Oct 20, 21, 22 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Oct 27, 28, 29 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Nov 3, 4, 5 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Nov 10, 11, 12 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
Hours
Store times are from 10AM to 5PM.
MasterCard, Visa, Debit, Cash and Cheques (with valid identification) are accepted.
Remember to dress warmly, it is a barn!
For directions to the Bazaar, click here .
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