The flowers in the light-brown wooden booths, the colorful metal container bins and pavements, the festive overhead lights, the uniform IKEA furniture... Darwin Radke is all for it.
It might be Radke's first season setting up shop at one of ByWard's new colorful containers, but he and his wife's "mom and pop" shop has been operating for almost two decades in the Market. For Radke, the Vendor Village is a definite "glow up" for the ByWard Market.
This year's new and colorful expansion to the district is part of the ByWard Market District Authority's (BMDA) bid to beautify and expand the market by attracting "foot traffic" to the district's traditionally quieter streets. Located in a previously vacant corner of George Street, ByWard's new village "soft launched" itself as a colorful addition to an already vibrant scene at the heart of Ottawa on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The grand opening won't be until May 20, BMDA confirmed. The Vendor Village will be open Wednesday to Sundays between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Small-business owners who used to operate in the familiar and bustling white tents a few blocks down from their new home say change was necessary despite the uncertainty that comes with it. For Nina Pacari, who owns Andes Art, a small family business specializing in hand-crafted items from South America, change always fuels uncertainty for the small Ecuadorian family business. "For me, I think the toughest decision to make as a small business owner is to move from one place that we know to a new place," she said. "This is new because we've gotten used to being outside in the tents."
But Pacari said she was happy their business was accepted to be part of the Vendor Village. The BMDA has a selection process where vendors apply to be in the metal containers. There were only a dozen spots available. Though change can feel daunting, Pacari said it can be equally exhilarating. "It's nice ... because it's never the same. It's (also) nice that we can make it our own place with decorations and lights."
Ottawa By Design's Radke said growth and change is a big part of owning a local business in the ByWard Market. "You have to grow, you have to switch it up," he said. Growth might be painful for business owners like Radke, but as long as his business stays in the Market in some capacity, he said change is a small price to pay. Radke and his wife, both graphic designers who work out of a studio in their Stittsville home, said they design and sell clothing for adults and babies online, and in person at the Market.
