Back by popular demand: Farmers' market returns to 104 Street in Edmonton

The Downtown Farmers' Market returned on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

The Downtown Farmers' Market returned to its former outdoor location on Saturday.

The Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA) announced in April it would bring the market back to 104 Street after the group that previously ran the market out of a building on 97 Street folded due to financial issues over the winter.

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"Every single storefront on 104 Street is full of restaurants and cafes and shops. Plus all the market vendors, nice wide sidewalks, it's just the perfect environment to create that quintessential urban shopping experience that a great farmers' market can be," Puneeta McBryan of the EDBA said.

McBryan says there was a lot of interest in not only reviving the market, but bringing it back to the outdoor location.

"We heard from businesses downtown, we've heard from the public, we've heard so much feedback from people just saying you can't let the downtown Farmers' Market die, please bring it back," she commented.

"Vendors were relieved, because many of them were at the old Downtown Farmers' Market over on 97 Street weren't sure where they were going to be able to go."

Vendors and customers were happy to be back on 104 Street on Saturday.

"It's exciting," Joe Doef with Lacombe Fresh said. "So far, so good."

"It's awesome so far. It's a great day today," Trini with Edge Farm Foods said. "Everybody is out having a great time and everybody is saying, 'Thank you for being back.'

"There's nothing better than an outdoor farmers' market."

EDBA plans to run the market for the first year before trying to find another group to take over.