Business expo deemed success

Kiera Kowalski
Summer reporter

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business and Community Expo had a successful two days at the local curling club.
Chamber director Jennifer Soderholm said it was a steady event, with continuous traffic similar to last year’s for both Friday and Saturday.
Forty-two vendors set up their booths this year, many of which were new to the expo.
Some of the new vendors included Clarie’s Bakery, a sweet shop serving up decadent German pastries.
Melina Jansen was there, as well, with AM Sunrooms and her privately-owned business, Blinds by Melina.
“They were really encouraged by the people and the response,” noted Soderholm
“They made a lot of new contacts.”
One of the biggest hits Soderholm noticed was Tbaytel, who was at the expo to introduce “Fibre,” a broadband service that promises “unlimited bandwidth with powerful speeds and a reliable browsing experience.”
Meanwhile, the Fort Frances Voyageur Lions Club’s annual “Jail or Bail” that ran Saturday also was a success.
The club was able to raise $5,500, with Angela Olson of the Rainy River Cannabis Collective raising the largest amount ($1,700).
All of the money raised will go towards a variety of initiatives supported by the Lions.
Soderholm added the reason they had such a successful weekend was because of the overwhelming amount of support the Chamber received from volunteers and donors.
She wanted to thank the vendors, workers who assisted in setting up, other volunteers, and everyone else who showed up for the event.
“Without all of the people helping us, we wouldn’t have had such a successful event,” she stressed.