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Downtown Farmers Market

^ It's weekends only, but Bountiful seems to be doing well, given its location. We probably couldn't support a 7-day/week downtown venture yet, but maybe Wed-Fri evenings could work in addition to weekends? (Particularly if there were some decent food-service vendors involved. Bountiful has a few good ones on that front.)
 
archited said:
IMHO the Central Market and the Fairfax Market in Los Angeles are both better examples.
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And many of the European markets are that much better. The Mercat de las Boqueria (La Rambla in Barcelona) as one example at 200 plus has more than five times as many vendors as LA’s central market and more than twice as many as Fairfax. It is also still predominantly a farmer’s market, not a collection of trendy food establishments, and is extremely well used daily by locals in lieu of grocery stores…
 
Our Strathcona market does fairly well taking what is a well located old industrial building and repurposing it. This is sometimes done in other older cities, where they have more and larger such buildings.

I can't think of any such suitable existing buildings right in our downtown core, but I suppose we could build a new building of that style that could fit in somewhere in the warehouse district.
 
David A said:
Our Strathcona market does fairly well taking what is a well located old industrial building and repurposing it. This is sometimes done in other older cities, where they have more and larger such buildings.

I can't think of any such suitable existing buildings right in our downtown core, but I suppose we could build a new building of that style that could fit in somewhere in the warehouse district.
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The Edmonton Iron Works Building might not be "right in our downtown core" but it's certainly close enough to the core and it's absolutely of the right style to facilitate a farmers market including adjacent land that could be utilized for anything from tents and temporary pavilions to sculpture and community gardens.
 
I think the funny thing I've noticed between the farmers market here in North America and the farmers market in the Philippines, here it is a place where we can find vegetables, fruits and other foods at artisan prices where the hip, bougie and socially conscious go to get their wares and to enjoy the atmosphere. In the Philippines the farmers market or just market is where everyone goes to get their foods because that's where all the vendors with the cheapest and freshest foods will be. Farmers Markets here is a reminder of what our society used to be like at a premium price, where as the markets there are part of every day life.
 
Right! I've always found that odd too. That said, most of the time you are getting far superior veg/fruit/meat product for about the same as a traditional grocery, but it's not in expensive.
 
Well then.

More info:

Alberta Purchasing Connection

purchasing.alberta.ca purchasing.alberta.ca

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Speaking of the downtown farmers' market (which, yes, apparently we weren't) - does anyone know what the plan is with the Valley Line West? Both during construction and after eventual commissioning? I keep hoping the market will get back to its pre-covid success, but when it was at its peak it went two blocks north, as well as a block east and west along 102 Ave, and I doubt it'll be able to do that now. Are there any official (or unofficial) ideas kicking about? I recall there was one year that they extended it a block west along Jasper Ave, as well as up 104 St, which would be nice.
 
ADob said:
Speaking of the downtown farmers' market (which, yes, apparently we weren't) - does anyone know what the plan is with the Valley Line West? Both during construction and after eventual commissioning? I keep hoping the market will get back to its pre-covid success, but when it was at its peak it went two blocks north, as well as a block east and west along 102 Ave, and I doubt it'll be able to do that now. Are there any official (or unofficial) ideas kicking about? I recall there was one year that they extended it a block west along Jasper Ave, as well as up 104 St, which would be nice.
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Also curious. The market this year will also have to accommodate access to the alley adjacent to Michael Phair Park (due to closure of the 102 ave alley access), which would cut down their current market space on 104 by around a quarter.

Wonder if they could place some vendors in Michael Phair and Beaver Hills?
 
Sounds like 104st will be basically the same for this year's market and that BHHP will not have vendors, but entertainment and activation.
 
^Yes. EDBA has an arrangement with Marigold to ensure vendor access via 102 Avenue on Saturdays. There will be less vendors potentially due to lane access by Michael Phair Park needing to stay open. Entertainment will be in MPP, there will not be vendors in the parks as business activities are not allowed in park spaces.
 
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What if the park's popularity grows, as it did in its first pre-VLSE iteration? Any thoughts given to potential future extensions? Also, while I understand the general idea about business activities not being allowed in park spaces, this seems a bit...punctilious? persnickety? when it comes to the farmers' market. The heritage days vendors are able to sell things on the Hawrelak site, are they not?
 
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