Ella Grace Marketplace — Local services in Calgary

Ella Grace Marketplace (EGM) is a lovely vintage market/store. They have a tone of things from well over 100 year old to much more modern (things like sports teams base ball caps & lego figurines), I would say most of this is from the latter half of the 1900s. The store is organized in little cubbies/sections/rooms where eachone had a different vendors' items. Everything was really well organized and the prices were easy to find. As each vendor prices there items some items were better deals than others, but generally things seemed fairly priced.

While some sections were more densely packed than others things on average weren't over crowded and there was enough space to look at everything without risking knocking things over.

All of the display cases/cabinets that had smaller items were easy to see into and they had a very organized system for unlocking them, which I really appricated. Each display had a number/letter/name and you just ask a staff member to get the key for that locker. They had oodles of really lovely little items, with lots of jewlery, in addition to vintage lighters, pocket knives, figurines, etc. They have a fair bit if wall art avalible and a few beautiful rugs. There was also fair bit of furniture, house wears and other decor as well. There were some clothing items but definitely not the focus of most vendors there.

There was also a kitchen with a coffee machine (that allowed for different drink options like coffee, hot chocolate, French vanilla, etc) and cold bottles of water, which I really appricated and made browsing very comfortable. They also had some candy like items for sale near the front if you felt peckish. There were also atleast 2 single person washrooms that were reasonably sized.

The staff were also absolutely SPECTACULAR! They very really positive and friendly. They greeted me when I came in and told me about how the store was set up, about the coffee/water and the location of the bathrooms (which was very appricated as it is someone easy to get turned around with all the near sections). They were also very avalible to offer to take items was was purchasing to the front for me so I didn't have to hold them while browsing, answering questions, and unlocking displays. They never once made me feel I was being a bother and made it clear that even if I had something taken to the front I could change my mind. One lovely person also was very helpful as a price tag had fallen off (items are priced by the individual vendors) and called them to see if they could find out the price. Unfortunately, they didn't hear back but had a system for me to leave my name and number so they could tell me the price when they find out. I really seemed that people liked working there even though I was there towards the end of a Sunday during a time they had a discount sale.

Some general notes: there are 2 floors with no elevator (that I know of), and there is a section on the top floor that is up a few more steps. The inter-floor stair case is very wide and has a sturdy banister. Most places could be navigated with a walker or smaller wheelchair but not everywhere. It was also quite warm particularly on the upper floor as there is no A/C, they did have fans and smaller A/C units spread around which helped with the temperature (it was about 25° outside when I was there. There is a reasonable amount of parking right by the doors, but there is lots of parking in the general area.

I really enjoyed my time there, got some great items and will...

We were treated rudely and racially by the store staffs. We found out about the store through social media because so many people were taking pictures and recording videos in the store and posting them on social media. So we were excited to go shopping and take pictures! Because we love taking pictures to record our life! and there are many people taking pictures and filming there on social media. And then there was no indication in the store that photos were not allowed, so we didn't ask the stuff if we could take photos. I think it is a basic rule of the service industry to communicate with customers politely. But an old lady and another lady in the store made us feel incredibly disrespected and took away our desire to buy. At first we were taking pictures, an old lady passed by and bumped into me, I thought I was in her way and I apologized to her. But she and another stuff interrupted us several times to take pictures. We didn't realize why they was doing this to us. While we were happily taking pictures continue, an old lady approached us and told us loudly and rudely not to take pictures and videos here if we don't buy anything, this is not a place to take pictures but a place to spend money. We replied that we would buy something, we just wanted to take a picture first, we came here specially to buy something for sure. Then the old lady thought we were arguing with her, so she said if we want to argue then please go out. I don't really understand, she was the one who said the words first to us and we just answered her and she thought we were arguing with her?😅And she is the rude person and she didn’t realize this point. I think she could have politely informed the customers that they could not take photos and videos, or she could have put up a sign saying no photos. But she didn't. And on the other side, very! many! people on social media took pictures here but didn't get the notified that they couldn't take pictures. We would have liked to continue shopping but have lost the desire to buy and gotten a poor mood and differential treatment so we left. But I would say this place is really cute and worth shopping, but those stuffs are really awful and I didn't realize anyone would still be racist in...

Purchased Art Pieces Misrepresented as Authentic: I purchased two art pieces from Ella Grace Marketplace, Calgary that were sold to me and my friend as lithographs. However, after carefully examining them myself and consulting with several of my professors, it became clear that they are not lithographs at all. As a practicing printmaker, I immediately doubted their authenticity and, upon further review, it was confirmed that they are simply digital or offset reproductions, not original works. They even carry digital signatures and lack edition numbers, which is not consistent with authentic printmaking practices. When I returned to the store to request a refund based on this misrepresentation, my request was refused. Selling these works under a false label is misleading and unethical. Unfortunately, it seems there is no qualified expert at Ella Grace to verify the authenticity of the pieces they sell, which leaves customers—many of whom may not have technical knowledge of printmaking—at risk of being deceived and wasting money on unauthentic works. To ensure accountability, I have also contacted the artist’s foundation, which holds his authentic signature, to inform them of this kind of fraud and misuse of the artist’s name. I am also following up with Service Alberta’s Consumer Contact Centre to formally address this abuse and fraudulent practice. This kind of behavior amounts to abuse of trust and could be happening repeatedly without buyers realizing it. If a store is selling authentic art, there should be someone knowledgeable available to confirm the legitimacy of the pieces. It is also a complete waste of energy and time debating with people who are not dedicated to moral responsibility or to respecting the rights of others. As an artist myself, I know the effort it takes to earn money through art, I also dedicate a portion of my earnings to collecting artworks. Experiencing this kind of fraud at Ella Grace Marketplace has been painful and disappointing, both personally and...