Edmonton businesses find success after the holidays
Posted January 5, 2025 5:17 pm.
Last Updated January 6, 2025 11:20 am.
It was a busy Sunday at Edmonton’s Bountiful Farmers’ Market.
Although most people are recovering from post-holiday spending, some Edmontonians told CityNews they wouldn’t mind spending a little extra to support local businesses.
“Supporting local is really important, putting money back into our local economy,” one person said.
Dirk Heinen at family-owned Gramma Bee’s Honey says their sales haven’t slowed down — even after Christmas.
“The honey sales have been great,” Heinen said.
“It’s consumable and so people certainly need honey and so they haven’t stopped on that. The market had been very good last year. I’ve had about 20 per cent increase so that’s pretty good.”
Edmonton-based produce business Lacombe Fresh says the business didn’t experience a decline in sales even after the holidays.
“People are looking for fresh vegetables. You know they got to buy it every week,” said manager Steven Johnson.
Johnson says the business has been able to thrive in the market despite the rising cost of living.
“Our pricing has remained pretty constant,” he said. “Very little change over the last three years. It helps because we grow it ourselves. We have control over the whole process.”
The all-year round market, located in the city’s southeast, brings together over 100 vendors displaying a variety of items including fruits, vegetables, farm-fresh meats, prepared food, as well as alcoholic beverages.
“We like the food here because it’s really good and healthy and they actually take care of it here,” said one Edmontonian.
“It’s not a competitive place. It’s a community. It’s been successful because of that,” said Paul Dolphin, the customer service manager at Bountiful Farmers’ Market.
While some businesses are thriving, other businesses are trying to survive amid the rising cost of living.
“This year hasn’t been promising. 2024 hasn’t been good compared to rest of the years. We can’t raise our prices too much. Otherwise, nobody will buy our stuff,” said William Chick, the owner of Le Special Malaysian Satay.
