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Edmonton Journal

A community of stalls: Why Edmonton loves farmers' markets

Article content On a Friday afternoon, Bountiful's parking lot is full. The Old Strathcona parking crunch is well known. The two 124 Street markets bring in about 10,000 visitors a week. It's clear that market culture is a big part of what it means to be an Edmontonian. Article content 'Farmers' markets do not make a lot of money,' said Kirsta Franke, director of the Wild Heart Collective and the founder of the 124 Street Grand Market. 'I didn't start the farmers' market because it was a money-making venture. I did it because I love my community.' Article content Each vendor may pay about $50 a day for a 10 feet-by-10 feet booth. But the organizers need to pay for the space, and for things like trash cans, tables and entertainment. Franke launched the Grand Market at 124 Street and 108 Avenue in 2012. It ran on Thursday nights and had about 20 vendors who were carefully selected. Four years later, Franke recognized that, to remain in the black, a second Grand Market a week was needed. And that goes on Sundays at 124 Street and 102 Avenue. Franke also administered the Al Fresco on 104 market which filled a gap Downtown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Article content Article content Today, the Grand Market works with a network of 600 vendors. It runs Night Markets on Fridays that move from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. They've been to Ritchie, Happy Beer Street and West Block Glenora. They run a market at Folding Mountain Brewing, located in between Hinton and the gates of Jasper National Park. And there's the Christmas Market at Fort Edmonton Park. Article content 'Our vendors trust us to lead them to places that will help their bottom lines,' said Franke. 'The vendors have been so good to follow us through the crazy.' Article content Franke said that farmers' markets bring visitors and vibrancy to the communities in which they are located. And that creates spinoffs for the brick-and-mortar businesses. To say that there isn't conflict between markets and the full-time shop and restaurant owners would be naive. Franke said that when the Grand Market opened, the presence of food trucks wasn't welcomed by all on 124 Street. But, at the same time, 124 Street is a 'food desert,' a term given to an area without grocery stores and fresh-produce options. Article content Article content She said that, more than a decade later, food trucks are seen simply as an option, and local restaurants are welcoming the people that the markets bring in. Patios are open, food specials are offered. Article content 'We want to be complementary to the 365 businesses that are there on the street,' she said. Article content But, when Franke administered the Downtown market, policies were brought in to prevent vendors from conflicting with the businesses in the area. That has been carried over into the Downtown Farmers' Market, which is now administered by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. There are no coffee stalls or food trucks. Article content Article content The Downtown Farmers' Market has a nomadic history. It moved to the old GWG Building on 97 Street in 2019. The market's overseers declared bankruptcy in 2024, leaving vendors without a Downtown home. But the EDBA resurrected the market, taking it back to its roots. Article content Quinn Phillips, a spokesperson for the DBA, said that marketgoers were surveyed last year, and while the numbers showed that a lot of the shoppers were from Downtown or other central neighbourhoods, many were also coming from further off spots. So, the market has two purposes; it's a perk for those who live Downtown, and an attractor for those who don't. Article content 'It's really important to support Downtown as a neighbourhood, and to have people to think about Downtown as a neighbourhood,' she said. Article content The market regularly sees more than 50 vendors, and on the final Saturday of July, hit a high of 63 vendors. Because of LRT construction, the market can't be expanded onto 102 Avenue like it was pre-2019, but Phillips said there are talks about expanding into Michael Phair and Beaver Hills parks for the 2026 market season. Article content And, knowing that there are tensions between brick-and-mortar retailers and markets, the symbiotic relationship at Callingwood is an example of how it can work. The market is held at The Marketplace at Callingwood, a shopping mall with 65 businesses, including an anchor supermarket. But the market is supported by the mall's own tenants' association, which marketing director Raelene Coffey called 'a volunteer board of local business owners who are passionate about building community and supporting local entrepreneurs.' Article content Article content Coffey said the market has helped spur traffic during traditionally slow retail times. Article content 'The majority of the vendors have unique offerings, which encourages guests to shop both the market and the mall, making it a win-win for everyone. Sundays can be a quieter shopping day at the mall but when the market is operating, the place is bustling with visitors from all over the city. The smaller, mid-week market also gets great support from tenants, who enjoy the extra foot traffic and the chance to connect with new customers.' Article content Chyanne Lindgren, manager of the Bountiful Market, said that it differs from others in the province not only because it is indoors, but that it's open three days a week. It opened with the idea of being a business incubator, where those who have stalls get to keep them on a regular basis, and it allows them to dip their feet into the world of full-time retail. Article content Article content 'The vendors don't have to to pick up and leave at the end of the day,' she said. Article content 'Is it a viable way to make a living? No.' Article content When you first walk by, the display looks like those opulent perfume counters from a time when department stores were a thing. Bottles of red, gold and silver, sorted on shelves to attract the eye. On closer look, they're bottles of vodka, gin and whiskey, all from the White Lightning Distillery located near Barrhead, Alta. Article content But this display isn't found in a liquor store. It's at the Bountiful Market. White Lightning owner Richard Bogach said that 95 per cent of the distillery's sales come through 20 Alberta markets that are regularly staffed by four employees, plus a few pop-up shop appearances at festivals and weekend events. Article content In seven years, Bogach has yet to take paycheque from his venture; with federal excise taxes at $13.84 a bottle, provincial taxes at $2.40 a bottle, plus recycling fees and GST, the fees add up. Plus, he's competing in a world where some distilleries have turned to using neutral grain spirit rather than distilling the old fashioned way. He's competing against vodkas, gin and whiskeys from the giant multinationals 'with mass product and unlimited marketing fees' who dominate the liquor store shelves. So, if you can't win at the local liquor store, the market is a place where the small, local distiller can stand out. Article content 'It's a question of how do you get exposure?' said Bogach. 'Well, when customers come to the market they can learn about your product, they can taste it and see you're making a quality product. And that's something you can't do in the liquor store. Article content 'We are making some headway, but we're not there, yet. Is it a viable way to make a living? No. If I had a wife and kids, I'd be divorced.' Article content So, the farmers' market is a beginning, not a be-all and end all. Article content Franke said the biggest challenges facing farmers' markets is climate change. She said that over the past few years, more than a few market nights have had to be scrubbed because of choking forest-fire smoke. Weather issues are becoming more severe and frequent. Article content Lindgren said that Bountiful Market's busiest days are rainy days, and that's the advantage of offering a market that has a roof over its head. Article content Article content So, Franke has been searching for a spot north of the river that can host an indoor market. It won't just allow for the market to continue through the winter, but would be a contingency space on those days when the forecast calls for ugly conditions. Article content To be an approved Alberta farmers' market, it must be operated as a non-profit. In 2024, Edmonton led the province with 12 approved markets within the city limits. Here's where to find them, and when to go: Article content Old Strathcona Farmers Market 10310 83 Ave. NW Saturdays and Sundays Article content Downtown Farmers' Market On 104 Street NW Saturdays Article content Bountiful Market 3696 97 St. NW Fridays-Sundays Article content 124 Grand Market 124 St. and 108 Ave. NW (Thursday evenings) 124 St. and 102 Ave. NW (Sundays) Article content Callingwood Farmers' Market 66 Ave. and 178 St. NW Wednesdays and Sundays Article content Beverly Towne Farmers' Market 118 Ave. and 34 St. NW Tuesdays Article content Article content Century Park Market 10915 23 Ave. NW Sundays Article content Orchards Farmers' Market 4059 Orchards Dr. SW Second and fourth Mondays Article content Ottewell Artisan Farmers' Market 5920 93A Ave. NW Thursdays Article content South Common Farmers' Market 150 Karl Clark Rd. Saturdays and Sundays Article content Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market 2051 Leger Rd. Wednesdays Article content Public Market in Ritchie 7727 98 St. NW Tuesdays Article content Ardrossan Farmers' Market 60 First Ave. Tuesdays Article content Beaumont Alberta Farmers' Market 5303 50 St. Thursdays Article content Fort Saskatchewan Farmers' Market 10030 99 Ave. Thursdays Article content Leduc Farmers' Markets 4330 Black Gold Dr. Thursdays and Saturdays Article content Morinville Farmers' Market 9913 104 St. Sundays Article content Salisbury Farmers' Market 52337 Rge. Rd. 232, Sherwood Park Thursdays Article content Sherwood Park Farmers' Market 5000 Emerald Drive Wednesdays Article content Spruce Grove Farmers' Market 120 Railway Ave. Saturdays Article content St. Albert Farmers' Market 5 St. Anne St. Saturdays