The Sonshine Classic Markets are events that bring together community in a celebration of love and support for small businesses. – Momma Braga
It is more than likely you have heard of markets that are hosted in different communities as a way for local and small businesses to sell their products in person. It is a great opportunity for businesses to expand their clientele and a way to connect with the community at large.
We have gone to many markets and there are a select couple that we truly enjoy going to. One that we have gone a few times to see is The Sonshine Classic Market and the last one we went to was the Halloween Edition which was spooktacular!
Every detail was executed beautifully and this was reflected by how much fun my guests and I had at the market. There was plenty of fun planned for the little ones such as trick-or-treating at each vendor booth (while supplies lasted 
), face painting, character meets and even a magician. What was great about this entertainment was each piece was scheduled a specific timeslot, this was great as it didn’t feel overwhelming. We also loved the variety of different vendors which made our shopping experience enjoyable. Everyone was kind and excited to share their creative talent. It truly felt like a community celebration of love and support!
That experience alone made me intrigued to find out more about the creators behind Sonshine Classic Market. In Momma Braga fashion, we made the connection and got an interview to get to know the team behind the brand.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your team.
Our team is made up of three wonderful ladies who bring energy and heart to make the events as special as possible. Firstly, there is Sandra who is a stay-at-home special needs mama and is a small business owner. Then, we have Leslie who is a mother of three teenagers, small business owner and a full-time Personal Support Worker (PSW). Lastly but definitely not least, we have Cass who is a huge supporter and the newest member of our team. Cass is a small business owner and a full-time Accountant.
What is the Sonshine Classic Market?
The Sonshine Classic Market started in August of 2021 on our driveway! Our mission is to help other small businesses shine and bring affordable markets to the community with family fun! The Sonshine Classic Market also thrives in raising money for charitable causes as a way of giving back to the community that we live and work in.
What was the inspiration that got the Sonshine Classic Market started?
Every story has a beginning and ours began with an amazing little boy named Landon. Landon is Sandra’s son and her small business of creating handmade teethers was inspired by him. Sandra’s sister, Leslie had a small business too where she created handmade crafts. They decided to partner up by hosting markets where other small businesses can come together to sell their products to the community. They wanted to help others shine brighter by providing a space that they can do it.
Sonshine Classic Market was born with Landon be represented in the naming of the brand, “Son”shine. Classic was inspired by Leslie and the rest is now history!
We always hope people gain something from what we do, what is your hope for people with the markets you do?
Our main goal at our markets is that our vendors are heard and shared within the community as much as possible, and for our vendors to have fun. Our events offer the space, the foot traffic and advertising in hopes it helps all these businesses grow. We pride ourselves on taking the extra time to meet all of our vendors at each event and ensure they know we are appreciative of them. A way to help the small businesses is by doing our best to keep costs affordable for businesses. With each vendor fee, a portion of the proceeds go to support a local program in Brampton called Snapso Program.
What motivates you to incorporate causes into your markets and how are they picked?
We are huge on giving back to the community with all of our events. In the year of 2021, we raised $2,175 for Sick Kids along with multiple food/stationary product donations. For our Holiday drive in 2022, we started our first toy drive where we had three garbage bags full of toys donated by the vendors and community. These toys were dropped off at the Brampton City Hall Toy Drop. In late 2022, we introduced that we will be supporting a local program in Brampton called Snapso program as they had touched our hearts and the inspire us. Snapso is a community based organization dedicated to providing developmentally disabled adults with supported opportunities to be active, visible and included in the community life. We are beyond excited to be supporting this program.
If someone is interested in becoming a vendor at your market, is there an application process and are you accepting new vendors?
Yes, small businesses interested in joining our events can click on our link in our bio. Applications are accepted one month prior to each event. The link prompts the business to fill out an application online and we send out a confirmation email within a week of sending out open event applications. We are always happy and excited to work with new vendors.
Anything you would like to inform our readers about?
We are three entrepreneur women that have come together to build a community for local small businesses to feel supported and to enjoy making connections. At the same time we hope to give back as much as we can. All of our events are family friendly with activities for the kids and complimentary refreshments for everyone.
We always look forward to meeting all vendors and guests at all our events and appreciate the support we have received from both past and present. Thank you!
There are some great events hosted by Sonshine Classic Market coming up and we recommend to check them out. Local and small businesses truly are great members of our community as they share their amazing talents with us all. Supporting them is a way to contribute back into our own communities. Did we mention that it is a great way to find unique items too?!
We love going as it truly gives us the sense of community and we can all use a little more of that.
A special thank you to Sandra, Leslie and Cass for this exclusive interview and we are excited to see you at a market soon!
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
-Momma Braga
