An online giveaway grew into a celebration of local shopping and community.
In 2020, Kirsten Young wanted to help local businesses. She had no idea that a simple online giveaway would grow into something much bigger — bringing businesses together, helping some survive a difficult period, and creating connections that continue to this day. That idea became the Heart of Oxford Experience, a celebration of the people and businesses that make Oxford County what it is.
This year’s Heart of Oxford event takes place Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Oxford Auditorium, 875 Nellis Street in Woodstock. It brings Oxford County businesses together for a day of local shopping, food, drinks and live music.
The giveaway began with 70 local businesses. As more businesses got involved, the number grew to 140, with nearly $25,000 in prizes.
Did Kirsten ever expect it would grow to become what it is today?
For Kirsten Young, the response was about more than the size of the giveaway. It showed what could happen when local business owners reached beyond their own storefronts and worked together. Businesses that might otherwise have viewed one another as competitors began building relationships and finding ways to support each other.
As things began opening up again in 2023, Kirsten wanted to take those online connections into the real world. She approached friends Rachel of Oxford Occasions and Laura of LN Studios, along with her family and Community Futures Oxford, which has been the event’s title sponsor since the beginning. Together, they helped bring Heart of Oxford to life as an in-person event.
The focus is entirely on Oxford County businesses. For shoppers, it’s a chance to discover local products and meet the people behind them. For vendors who normally operate online, it offers something different: an opportunity to create a physical storefront, show off what they do, and connect with customers face to face.
The event now draws more than 1,500 people.
Kirsten believes supporting local businesses should mean more than following a popular trend. These businesses are owned and run by the people who live in our communities - our friends, neighbours and family members.
And the connections made at Heart of Oxford go beyond the shopping floor.
It’s a practical demonstration of the spirit that started the whole thing: people working together, celebrating one another’s success and building a stronger local business community.
That sense of connection is what Kirsten hopes people carry with them long after the event is over.
Heart of Oxford began with one person looking for a way to help local businesses. It has grown into something that brings together business owners, shoppers and the wider community — and keeps the focus where Kirsten Young believes it belongs: on Oxford County.
