Rental Spaces
June-September 2024 Maker Application
Includes information about selling and full details on the rental process.
About Us and Our Makers
Located off of Water Street, only steps from Founder's Food Hall & Market and Peake's Quay, Blank Canvas Art Supplies offers rental spaces for Island artists, artisans and makers to sell & display their work!
It is important to Blank Canvas Art Supplies that we showcase a selection of handmade/handcrafted works by Island Makers. It is mandatory that all of our Makers are the creators and designers of their products.
We are proud to offer a space to Island artists and makers to sell their work to the public. Blank Canvas has a number of shelves, ledges and wall space available to display various handmade products.
The Fine Print:
- Blank Canvas operates with a rental based service instead of the standard consignment model allowing Makers to earn 100% of their profits*.
- The minimum term is 4-weeks; Makers must let us know at least 7 days before the end of their term if they are interested in staying on or not with us.
- Blank Canvas does not collect sales tax on Makers products. It is recommended that Makers include tax in their prices.
- Blank Canvas reserves the right to limit the number of Makers who sell similar items in order to insure variety and selection to our customers.
- We cannot accept artisans who are purchasing and selling through third party sourcing.
- We cannot accept Makers whose work is manufactured/produced outside of Canada; products or work imported for resale.
- Makers may sell only those products they have been approved for. Makers may not sublet or rent out their space to another seller. If an existing Maker wishes to sell products beyond what has been approved, they must reach out to Blank Canvas Art Supplies first.
- Vendors are encouraged to have their own insurance. Blank Canvas Art Supplies is not responsible for any product loss due to theft, damages, or any liability for accidents of persons or property.
- Products sold by Makers are NON REFUNDABLE and not eligible for exchange or store credit. If there is an issue with a product, customers will be urged to reach out to the maker directly.
- As we are a family friendly space, mature themes, nudity and similar subjects will require special approval and may be subject to display behind a barrier with clear markings on the subject matter.
- Blank Canvas gift cards cannot be used to purchase Maker's products.
- All rentals are charged HST.
*some fees may apply, contact us for more information
FAQs
Can I come to see the space before I sign up?
Absolutely! You can come by the store to check us out during business hours.
Do I need to make a long-term commitment?
No. We offer 4-week minimum terms. If you choose to stay with us longer, a minimum of 2 weeks notice is required to extend your time or end your time with us as there are other Makers interested in selling their work in our space.
What if I decide this isn’t the right fit for me?
No problem at all. We understand that our store may not be the right fit for everyone. A minimum of 2 weeks notice is required to opt out of your membership.
Can a friend and I share the rental space?
No, only one business/Maker is allowed per space.
Is this the same as consignment?
No. Blank Canvas offers prepaid rentals spaces, we do not receive commission on your products. Consignment refers to an arrangement where the seller/store receives a portion of the profits earned by the selling of the Maker's work.
However, due to the high cost of debit/credit fees on all transactions, there are two instances when small fees are charged to the Maker.
1) A fee of 5% will be charged to an individual item that is $150+ and deducted from their earnings at the end of the 4-week term.
2) A fee of $15 +hst, will be deducted from the earnings of any Maker for every $500 earned in their 4-week term.
How do I get paid?
Payouts are sent by e-transfer at the end of the 4-week term. This applies whether or not you continue to rent a space for longer. Payouts are issued on the 1st and 15th of each month. If the end of your term falls between the 2-14th of a month, the you will receive your payout on the 15th of that month; if the end of a term falls between the 16-30/31, you will receive your payout on the 1st of the following month.
Am I guaranteed to make money?
Unfortunately, no. While we provide the opportunity for Makers to sell their work in a high traffic area of downtown Charlottetown, we cannot guarantee sales. For our part, we promote our Makers through our social media pages and sometimes even with paid advertisements as much as we can, but we are still a new small business on PEI and there are many who have yet to discover us. We are also primarily a retail art supply store run by only one person so it can be tough!
Which is why we strongly encourage our Makers to spread the word not only through word-of-mouth but also by posting their presence in the shop on their social media pages. Remember, the more people that know about our shop, means the more people that will see your work for sale!
Being so close to the Port, you must see a lot of cruise ship tourists, right?
This is a common misconception. While we do see a lot of tourists through our doors, cruise ship passengers rarely shop in our store. Of course we will continue to try to change that, many of our summer customers are regular tourists and Islanders. We believe that honesty is what helps our Makers to succeed in our shop so it is important to us that Makers are aware of their potential buyers and not led to believe otherwise.