Miranda Lamontage is hoping to tackle two important causes with an upcoming event she’s hosting at the Lundy Manor Wine Cellars winery in Niagara Falls: getting healthy, affordable food into the hands of people facing food insecurity and  giving artisan entrepreneurs a venue to raise their profile among potential customers.

The owner of Collectively Unique Boutique, a new collective with a main focus of supporting handmade and local small businesses across the region, is hosting the first of a series of sip and shop events she’s planning at the idyllic VQA winery estate on May 7.

Dubbed the Mother’s Day Sip and Shop, the event will feature 60 small business owners while also raising funds for the GROW Community Food Literacy Centre in downtown Niagara Falls.

Lamontage, who is also planning to host a Picnic at the Manor event on July 9, a Witches sip and shop event in October and a Christmas at the Manor sip and shop market in November, said it’s vital to support GROW. The non-profit agency runs a low-cost market each Saturday which now draws hundreds of people with lower incomes in search of healthy food choices at a fraction of the prices at supermarkets.

“With food prices going up, it’s so important to support,” she said.

Lamontage is equally passionate about supporting small business owners who might otherwise have difficulty reaching potential customers. Vendors will range from Design by Kubo jewelry to a soap business, and Canal Bank Wreaths to Yoga with Allison Maraldo-Tomlinson.

“This event is more than just a shopping experience, it’s a heartfelt reminder of the power ofcommunity and the importance of supporting local businesses,” she said. “By joining together for the Mother’s Day Sip and Shop Market, we uplift our talented artisans and contribute to GROW’s invaluable mission of nourishing and educating our neighbours in need.”

As a woman whose husband is a small business owner, Lamontage said she knows the challenges facing small ventures and the need for them to get exposure.

“Without them, the community doesn’t have much life,” she said. “There’s not really a community without small business.”

Tickets for the May 7 event are $12 for people aged 19 and over, which includes a glass of wine. Tickets are $5 for those aged 18 and younger. $2 from each ticket sold will be donated to GROW.

Tickets are available at https://collectivelyuniqueboutique.ca/ .

The event running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature live music by Claralux and photography by LWphotography.

Lundy Manor is at 9941 Lundy’s Lane. 

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