New Indigenous art store in Charlottetown opens doors to 'all the conversations'

Customers who walk into a new Indigenous art store in Charlottetown are often curious about the items for sale. Who made it, how was it created, what is the cultural significance?

That usually leads to questions about reconciliation, said general manager Yvette McKenna.

"Individuals that come in, they really want to understand…. They ask the questions and I think that's where the conversation starts. That's where we open the doors to all the conversations."

The importance of the store, called Indigenous P.E.I., was further reaffirmed when McKenna had a conversation about pricing with one of the artisans.

"They were crying because they said, 'Nobody has ever told me that my work is valued,'" McKenna said.

"So that's the emotion… I am able to come into my work every day and say, 'This is why we're doing what we're doing.' Because we need them to feel valued and we need them to understand that without them, we couldn't have this part of our journey."

The works are made by artisans from Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nations. The store is run with support from organizations including Indigenous Tourism of P.E.I. and Mi'kmaq