‘Tis the season for Christmas markets to come back in full force. This can bring some good and some bad news, which was the case for 200 local vendors after an upcoming Christmas market was canceled because the event organizer gambled away their deposit money.
The third annual It’s A Christmas Market was supposed to be scheduled for November 12, 2023, in Kitchener, Ontario. On October 26, event planner Stacy Cliff posted on a private Facebook page saying she lost the vendor’s money, meaning the event would need to be canceled.
“It is with my most profound apologies that my mental health addiction compiled with my absolute selfishness has created a storm I cannot control,” Cliff wrote. “So many of you have followed me, had faith and trusted me through good and bad events. I’ve taken that trust, and wors[e], your money, and have done the very worst I can do, which is not putting it where it belongs.”
Cliff later confirmed that she did lose the money through gambling. “I don’t know what happened. It all just snowballed. I kept thinking that I’d spend $100 here, $100 there and I’d be able to get a big win and put it all back. And that never happened,” she said.
Cliff has been in the event planning business for three years and has previously worked with some of the vendors for past editions of this annual event. Cliff said she never made any deposit to Bingemans for the event and estimates she lost around $20,000 to $30,000 in total.
Each vendor paid around $100 to $200 to secure spaces for the Christmas event and may be out even more money in stock they’ve been preparing for months. Most other Christmas markets have also been fully booked for months.
Fortunately, vendors are hoping to make the market still happen by paying the event venue directly to state enough Christmas market on November 12, 2023. “That a lot of us are trying to band together to continue it is kind of reassuring, not everybody is giving up yet,” vendor Nicole Franzkowiak said.
The group is also compiling a file to report to the police and take the issue to small claims court.