Bloom · the MWM Program

Build something that lasts.

Guidance from women who have built it, and retail space for your products.

Free to participate · Applications close September 22

Nobody grows alone.

Bloom is built on a simple idea: women in business get further together than apart. You will be guided by women who have built, priced and sold right here in Niagara, and you will grow alongside ten to fifteen others doing exactly what you are doing, with an advisory board, an alumnae network and a whole store of makers behind you.

The schedule is designed to fit within your life. The reason it works is the room you are walking into.

At a glance

16 weeks

Oct 1 – late January

Thursday mornings

every second week, 10:30–12:00

10 to 15 women

one cohort, one room

Month one

your product on our shelves

Free

to participate

Sept 22

applications close

What is the MWM Boutique & Cafe?

MWM is an initiative of the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub: a working storefront and cafe in downtown Niagara Falls where women-identifying entrepreneurs learn retail by doing it. Bloom is our seasonal cohort, three stages, four milestones, and your product on our shelves throughout.

How it works

Foundation & Process

Set your business up properly, or audit what you already have: pricing, margins, packaging and the shelf test. You finish retail-ready, and your product goes into the store.
Digital Retail

A storefront that is actually live, listings that sell, and content that brings people to them. You finish selling online, before the holiday season.
Physical Retail & Experience

Merchandising, reading your own sales data, and running your own guided pop-up. You finish with a Graduation Showcase and a plan for the year ahead.

Program Impact

Reaching further, together

38 women-owned businesses

On our shelves today, program participants, graduates and stockists, side by side.

29 businesses supported in 2025

16 through the program, plus 13 more through new consignment and wholesale routes.

88 hours of coaching

32 hours of workshops and 56 hours of one-to-one mentorship, delivered in a single year.

169% sales growth

Increase in average monthly sales since the café opened, expanding the shopfront our makers sell through.

What your four months look like

Four months, four milestones: build the foundations, get on the floor, sell through the season, and finish with a showcase of your own.

October 1

You begin

Set the business up properly, or audit what you already have. Pricing, margins and the shelf test.

Late October

Onto the shelves

You are retail-ready. Your product enters the store through our inventory process and starts selling.

November – December

Your first season

Selling in store and online through the busiest weeks of the year, with your own numbers to read.

January

Your own pop-up

You plan, run and review a guided pop-up, with your cohort there to help you work it.

Late January

Graduation Showcase

The cohort runs a mini-market together. Then you choose your path: consignment, wholesale or membership.

What you get

A place on our shelves. Your product enters the store through the same process every vendor uses, and keeps selling after you graduate.
Guidance from women who have done it: retailers, makers, accountants and marketers from across Niagara, each teaching what they built a business on.
Real milestones and honest feedback. Four stages with clear criteria, plus one-to-one evaluation sessions at the start, the middle and before your showcase.
Your own guided pop-up: planned, supported and reviewed, with your cohort there to help you run it.
A cohort that stays. Ten to fifteen women who know your business, plus an alumnae network and an advisory board behind you.
A path after graduation: consignment, wholesale where eligible, or a paid virtual membership, plus a Certificate of Completion and twelve months of NFIH membership.
No cost to participate. Funded by the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub, the City of Niagara Falls and sponsors including Meridian.

Two ways in

If the timing isn’t right for a cohort, start where you are. Both doors lead to the same community.

The Program

A free seasonal cohort of ten to twelve women. Guidance from women who have built it, four milestones, your product on our shelves, a guided pop-up and a Graduation Showcase. Applications close September 22.

The Collective

Free, always open, no commitment. A learning library, a monthly maker meetup, our newsletter, and first pick of cohort places when applications open. Start here if this season isn’t your season.

How to Apply

MWM welcomes women-identifying entrepreneurs from across the Niagara region. Whether you’re launching a product-based or service-oriented business, this is your chance to shine.

Steps to Apply:

Applications close Monday, September 22. We review every application as it arrives and will be in touch shortly after you apply. The cohort begins Thursday, October 1 and runs every second Thursday morning through to the Graduation Showcase in January.

There is no cost to participate, thanks to the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub, the City of Niagara Falls and sponsors including Meridian.

Co-work & Connect

Bring your work. Bring your kids. We will bring the connection.

Co-work & Connect runs the third Tuesday of every month, 3–5 PM, in the store. Bring the invoicing you have been avoiding, the labels you need to pack, or the laptop you never open at home, and sit with other women building something in Niagara. No agenda, no name tags.

Free, drop in any time. Open to everyone, cohort or not.

Upcoming dates

Tuesday 20 October · Tuesday 17 November · Tuesday 19 January

Join our mailing list

One email a month: new makers on the shelves, seasonal drinks in the café, upcoming Co-work & Connect dates, and the first word when Bloom applications open.

Free to join. Unsubscribe any time.

Partners and Sponsors

The Magnificent Women’s Market would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners, who believe in empowering women entrepreneurs and fostering community growth.