A new farmers and vendors market is being planned for downtown Sturgeon Falls. Stuart Seville and Gayle Primeau, the husband-and-wife team behind so many of the recent improvements in town, have decided to try an open-air market promoting local foods, crafts and other goods on weekends, at the parking lot on King Street, starting Saturday, July 17.
“The goal is that this will be a weekly event with different vendors for the summer and fall of 2021, depending on level of interest,” says Seville. “In addition, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Sturgeon Falls Beautification Group so that we may continue with their vision of beautifying our downtown.”
Seville already has three farms who want to use the space to sell their goods, and “If I can get the vendors up rockin’ and rollin’… it will build upon itself. We’re looking at anything: arts, crafts, food vendors, whatever it may be.” They already have several small vendors interested, from candles, jewelry and crafts to clothing and soaps – mostly local products. Seville adds that the effort is also targeted at helping local businesses who have been hard hit by the pandemic “to get their name back out there”.
While the crafts and goods vendors will be featured on weekends, the farmers will have a presence all week if things go as planned. “During the week it will be just the farmers’ market on the north side. They will want to use the space six days a week.” Seville notes that some of the farmers had lost their spots on municipal property because of liability concerns, and were looking for a new space to reach consumers.
On Saturdays, when the other vendors are added, it will be more like a weekend attraction. They are even open to entertainers and buskers. Gayle Primeau indicates that they don’t really know what to expect, and hopefully the market will evolve on a trial-and-error basis. “The point is, first we’ll see how things start and as the word spreads, there will be more people who approach. In the beginning it’s hard to know what to expect, the first time, the first weekend. If it’s something of a success, we’ll get more happening. But we also have to be careful about the COVID restrictions.”
Local vendors, crafters, artists and other interested parties are invited to contact Stuart Seville at 416-543-6903.
