Sunday final day for long-running Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market

Jan. 28 will be last Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market on 97 Street, after the association that runs the market voted to dissolve and declare bankruptcy. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti/CTV News Edmonton)

After running for more than a century, the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market Association is dissolving.

The association has been running the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market for around 120 years. Saturday, its membership voted unanimously to shut down and declare bankruptcy.

"Moving into this building just really crumbled us financially," said the market's manager Elaine Doucette. "We are going to get debt forgiveness basically, and move forward and let another entity takeover."

The market moved from 104 Street to 97 Street in 2019. Sunday will be its last day, but Doucette said shoppers won't have to wait too long before something new comes up. 

According to her, the Downtown Business Association is currently working on getting a new market up and running on 104 Street (with a winter-only indoor space).  

A vendor herself, Doucette is hopeful for the community's return to its former space.

"I think the majority [of the vendors] are excited more about the outdoor market because we had like 10,000 to 20,000 customers walking through with their dogs, that area was absolutely incredible," she said.

The new market is expected to be open for the May long weekend.