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This is our story. The allure of the barn brimming with one-of-a-kind, artisan-made items from around the world makes for an almost spiritual experience and calls for an in-person visit to a truly unique space which celebrates the beauty of handcrafted goods!
It all began with Paul and Evelyn Gervan who taught in Malaysia with CUSO in the late 70s. They experienced life in the Global South, and tried to figure out how they could create positive change and economic empowerment.
They were fascinated by unique artisan-made goods which hadn’t yet been brought to the North American market. They began importing a small number of carved masks, tapestries, and home decor items and selling them at university markets and to shops on High Street in Montreal.
Every year after, they brought home a little more. Eventually, they were shipping entire containers worth of goods from Asia back to their barn in Seeley's Bay, Ontario.
Through time, they established the seasonal format of travel for a few months each year then open in the fall for five weekends with the help of friends and family.
After 22 years of growing the business, Paul and Evelyn were ready to retire. Peggy & Dick Bakker decided to buy the business from her brother Paul and move it to Dick's family farm in Manotick Station outside of Ottawa.
In 2004, they opened the doors of Third World Bazaar in its new location, having converted the former cattle barn into the international marketplace you now know.
Due to demand, they quickly had to grow and add extensions to the building to give more room to hold all the goods and visitors.
Throughout the years the Bakker's have travelled to all corners of the globe, working with tens of thousands of artisans. Their children, Anneka and Case, quickly became part of the business and joined in the many adventures through buying trips, and in growing the company.
They went from five weekends to seven and started travelling further and to new places. Bringing in products from Turkey, Morocco, Kenya, Nepal, Indonesia, and even acquiring Kilim rugs from Afghanistan.
In 2020 with the onset of the pandemic and with lots of change in the air for everyone, Peggy and Dick decided to shift gears, taking a step back as their daughter Anneka, who since the age of seven had been part of the Bazaar, was ready to take over the reins. It started with a name change to represent the new reality of being 'One World, united', and in the Bazaar's case, united in our love of handcrafted goods.
