Edmonton’s Downtown Farmers’ Market likely to return to 104 Street

After the closure of Edmonton’s Downtown Farmers’ Market, talks have begun about bringing a new one to 104 Street.

The Downtown Business Association announced on Wednesday that is the plan and it is set to open potentially this Spring.

A return of the farmer’s market could be good for businesses on 104 Street north of Jasper Avenue.

Business operators tell CityNews that when the market left, they lost foot traffic, and now they’re excited to welcome the market back with open arms.

“We have a lot of people that came down to this area just for the farmers market and it’s a huge boost for our income for sure,” explained Scott Krebes, Kelly’s Pub

The downtown farmers market moved to the GWG building on 97 Street, across from the courthouse just before COVID. Following the pandemic, the market lost the majority of its vendors, putting the association in charge in financial trouble.

Earlier this month, the market went into bankruptcy and closed permanently. The Downtown Business Association is looking to reopen a market this Spring where it all began on the streets, although it will look a little smaller.

READ MORE: Edmonton’s Downtown Farmers’ Market to hold meeting on likely closure

“We will unfortunately have to cap it. Like if you think about how large the downtown farmers market had gotten when it was over here previously, we definitely won’t have that space to get anywhere near that level,” stated Puneeta McBryan, the executive director of the Downtown Business Association.

Edmonton’s Downtown Business Association points to the LRT expansion as one of the reasons why the market won’t return to the same size. Saying it will take two to five years before they can even look to get over 50 vendors.

“The Valley Line West construction is a real challenging reality we’re gonna be facing for the next three years at least. And so, it’s gonna limit how much space we can occupy,” explained McBryan.

At Kelly’s Pub, they’re just happy to get the market and its customers back, regardless of the size.

“Something is better than nothing. If we have to bend and move and shut down another part of the street. I think people on 104 will do everything they can to get those people back,” said Krebes.