Farmers’ markets are more than places to buy food. They are gathering spaces where communities meet the people behind the products, hear their stories, and build relationships that last well past a Sunday morning.
That idea sits at the heart of the Indigenous Vendor Program at Vancouver Farmers Markets. Launched in 2025 in partnership with Indigenous Tourism BC, the program creates opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs at the Downtown Farmers Market, one of Metro Vancouver’s busiest weekly marketplaces. It is one of the ways VFM is taking intentional steps on its reconciliation journey: making space, building relationships, and supporting greater visibility and economic participation for Indigenous owned businesses.
Four businesses make up the 2026 cohort. One of them is Ali Muldoe-Wells, the Gitxsan cedar artist behind Creations by Antee.
From the North Coast To a Cedar Table
“All my life I have always been a crafter and a sewer.”
That is where Ali starts when you ask her about her work. The cedar came later, on a trip north.
“I started working with cedar bark with my friends and family when I visited my in-laws in the village of Lax Kw’Alaams in northern BC, at least twenty years ago.”
Ali is Gitxsan from Wilps Nisto’o of the frog clan. She grew up in the Hazeltons and married into the Tsimshian Nation. The business name Antee comes straight from her family and her Nation.
“In our culture, an Auntie plays a very prominent role. Everyone in my family and extended family calls me Auntie Ali, therefore it was very easy to start using AnTee as part of my business name.”
“My culture shows up in my work and my life, as a very proud, hardworking Indigenous woman that never gives up. Long haul Covid made me remember my upbringing, as I could no longer continue in a conventional nine to five job. I had to become resilient and adapt.”
What She Makes
“I handcraft different jewellery, and predominantly earrings now. I use western red cedar bark that is traditionally harvested following the cultural teachings that have been passed down through generations.”
She also works with devil’s club, for jewellery and for medicine.
“It has both protective and healing properties. My family harvests the devil’s club on our traditional territory, making it easy to produce items with good intention.”
Asked to name one best seller, she picks earrings
“I would say earrings, as I also incorporate other ethically sourced items such as seal skin, beaver fur, rabbit fur, and eagle down.”
But the piece that carries the most weight is the cedar rose.
“One of the most important products I make are cedar roses. This is what I was first taught to do, and is something my mother always loved, so all her grandchildren knew we needed to have everything cedar and many cedar bark roses surrounding her when she passed away. I try to share this part of our culture with the people I interact with.”
Why the Farmers’ Market
“My culture teaches me to be respectful, courageous, honest, truthful, and have humility. I believe this shows in how I strive to run my business. I always will respect others’ time, and people can count on my word and count on me.”
Most of her events are Indigenous conferences and Indigenous markets, so this season has been a new experience.
“I have definitely stepped out of my comfort zone. Being at the farmers’ market enables me to reach a different clientele and share more of the products that I work with. I feel that the customers and the community are open to having me participate in this predominantly non Indigenous market.”
What’s next
“Looking ahead, I will continue to come up with new ideas and designs for my work. I also look forward to continuing my presence at the Vancouver farmers’ market through until the end of the season.”
Find Creations by Antee at the Downtown Farmers Market through to the end of the season, or at @creationsbyantee on Instagram.