The NWT government’s downtown Yellowknife Hide and Fur Shop will close for good on Friday as the territory shifts all sales of its hide and fur materials to local distributors.
The GNWT says the change is possible because businesses in the territory have grown their capacity to carry the materials, particularly in Yellowknife, where most sales happen.
Johanna Tiemessen, manager of arts programming at the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, said the government has long wanted to move away from operating its own retail store and instead work with other businesses to distribute the materials.
Artists will continue to be able to buy materials at wholesale prices with no markup through 16 approved distributors across the territory. In Yellowknife, those are Gallery of the Midnight Sun and Mahsicho.
“We have two viable businesses that are willing to or able to carry the diversity of products that we offer to artists,” Tiemessen told Cabin Radio regarding the outlets in Yellowknife.
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The program also has distributors in Inuvik, Ulukhaktok, Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Smith, Fort Providence and Hay River.
Tiemessen said artists may have more flexibility with the new arrangement as local distributors have longer hours than the government-run shop.
“I expect accessibility to increase for artists because they will be able to shop on their lunch hour. They’ll be able to shop on the weekends,” she said.
The broader hide and fur program will continue sourcing materials based on what artists request, including NWT-sourced ringed seal pelts, muskox hides and polar bear pelts, as well as beaver, fox and muskrat.
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Artists can make requests through their regional distributor, which can pass that feedback along to the program.
Tiemessen said the government hopes to expand the distributor network beyond the 16 current businesses and organizations, with a long-term goal of improving access in more of the territory’s 33 communities.
Closing the Yellowknife shop will allow GNWT staff to focus on sourcing materials, working with distributors and expanding access to the program, she said.
