Nearly all the booths have been reserved for the upcoming Top O’ Maine Trade Show in Madawaska, which is the largest of its kind north of Bangor.
Vendors this year will be coming from Maine and across New England, as well as Canada.
Organizers this year tried to include more Canadian businesses, according to Sam Corey, president of the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce.
About six Canadian businesses are on tap, compared with one or two in previous years, Corey said. Several factors have contributed to the decline in Canadian attendance, from challenges moving goods across borders to international tariffs. The COVID-19 pandemic also reduced international attendance at the trade show.
Kristen Henry, the town’s new economic development director, has worked extensively to strengthen the border town’s relationship with Canada, he said. The new Canadian push aims to grow attendance from businesses across the border.
“I do think that this effort will keep that number growing into the future, too,” Corey said Monday.
Five chamber board members organized most of the show: Corey, Vice President Brian Bouley, Treasurer Tammy Nadeau, Secretary Jon Ouellette and Lisa Morin.
In previous years, the chamber’s executive director organized the event. That post has been empty since former director Jessica Blalock resigned last December.
“It’s pretty much just been the five of us,” Corey said. “But I have to give Brian the lion’s share of the credit. He and Tammy have really been doing it. I’ve been making myself available here at my store as a go-between, since we haven’t had somebody in the office full-time.”
He said it has been challenging to navigate this time of year without a full staff, but that everything has been going well so far.
The behind-the-scenes work includes reaching out to businesses and ensuring that people are coming, taking care of registrations, and finalizing the floor plan and booth layout at the multipurpose center where the trade show is set to take place.
Several vendors take more than one booth. Some may own multiple businesses while others may just need more space. They’ve sold over 100 booths with between 70 and 80 unique registrants, Corey said.
The St. John Valley region saw an influx of people moving to the area during the pandemic, he said. In fact, some business owners recently moved to the area through exposure at the trade show.
Corey spoke with a vendor last year from upstate New York who sold movable stairs for docks and has since moved to the Portage area.
“Folks from out of state come, and a lot of times they’ll identify a need or a niche that hasn’t been taken care of by local folks, and if it’s not here yet, we can build it,” he said.
The trade show will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Multi-Purpose Building on 160 7th Avenue.
Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youth 13-17 and free for guests 12 and under.
