'This is massive': Farmers' market returning to downtown Edmonton's 104 Street
A farmers' market will once again occupy 104 Street in downtown Edmonton this summer.
Starting Saturday, June 15, the market will run every Saturday between Jasper Avenue and 102 Avenue until Oct. 12.
The market was announced in the wake of the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market Association dissolving in January due to financial issues.
The Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA), the group behind the initiative, held a media event on Tuesday to introduce the new market, which it is calling a "revived downtown farmers' market."
The Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market had operated on 104 Street before moving to an indoor location on 97 Street in 2019.
"The reason we're doing this is to get tens of thousands of people coming downtown again, every Saturday, all summer long," said Puneeta McBryan of the EDBA.
"The overwhelming response that we received first when the former association announced they're going bankrupt. And then when we announced that we were going to do everything possible to make it come back.
"The outpouring of support we received tells us that the public will absolutely be here."
The EDBA will manage the market for the first year and Foundry Events will operate it.
Foundry was selected through an open request for proposals process which resulted in nine applications, according to EDBA.
The organization has previously managed events for Explore Edmonton,Tourism Jasper, and the Edmonton Airport (YEG).
McBryan says work is underway to create a new non-profit organization to take over the market after the first year.
"We do not want this to be one year back on 104 Street, and then have it disappear again."
"There are some funds underway for a new non-profit potentially to form. And if that doesn't work out, we are prepared to continue managing the market permanently if that's necessary."
McBryan says vendors are already asking about the possibility of an indoor market over the winter.
"There's absolutely a possibility beyond October to look at different indoor locations. And hopefully that if that new organization forms, they might be able to run an indoor market as well."
More than 75 vendors have already applied for the market, and some familiar vendors will be returning, including Lacombe Fresh, Riverbend Gardens, Reclaim Organics, Ocean Odyssey, Steve & Dan's, Sundog Organic Farm, and others.
Businesses in the area say they're thrilled the market is coming back.
"This is massive for us. In the years that we didn't have it we saw a decline in sales," said Scott Kreves of Kelly's Pub on 104 Street.
"We probably lost about 60 per cent of sales for Saturdays."
The EDBA says funding for the market is being provided by the city through Edmonton's Downtown Vibrancy fund, with the EDBA contributing additional resources.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.