I love Canada! I first visited this beautiful country when I was 10 years old. My family took a trip to Niagara Falls, where we stayed in a bed and breakfast for a few days. Since then, I’ve visited Toronto twice, and I recently took a trip to Montreal in spring 2011 (great food and great music!). The closest I get to Canada these days is World Showcase in Epcot. This week, winter has descended upon Canada Pavilion as part of Limited Time Magic. Guests can meet and take photos with some favorite Disney characters in the snow for this week only. I stopped by Canada Pavilion’s Northwest Mercantile this past weekend to see what the merchandise location had in store.
Northwest Mercantile houses a variety of Canadian-themed goods. Upon entry, I was greeted by the shop’s newest items – a selection of Canadian Native Handicrafts by Monague Native Crafts. I asked Sylvie Brumbaugh, merchandiser for World Showcase, about these new goods.
“I’m always looking for unique items for World Showcase,” said Sylvie. “When deciding on assortments that capture the essence of a particular country, we consider several things including popular marketplace trends. For the Canadian Native Handicrafts line, we have apparel, pottery and an expanded collection of dream catchers. Monague Native Crafts is a leading Canadian supplier of these items, so it’s great to carry them in the location.”
I liked some of the more unique items I found in the shop including Sasquatch Sweat soap and the ketchup-flavored potato chips. Sylvie told me some of the most popular items are the Hatley pajamas (perfect for a cold Canadian winter’s night!).
My favorite things, however, give a nod to the 360-degree film at the pavilion, “O Canada.” Disney Design Group created the artwork which Sylvie applied to hats, shirts, tumblers, mugs and more. I like the simplicity of the red “Canada” shirt, while the plaid moose pattern is fun. I also saw the awesome World Showcase shirt we created for the 30th Anniversary of Epcot.
