Kentville Market sees summer success

BY JENNIFER HOEGG

jhoegg@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Centre Square is abuzz Wednesdays in Kentville. Tents shelter vendors selling a variety of goods, including fresh local produce, handmade clothing, baby bibs, sun-catchers, flowers and coffee. Shoppers enjoy café seating, where they can indulge in a variety of treats from caramel apples to samosas to authentic Korean cuisine.

Market coordinator Michelle Fike says the mid-week market has “had a terrific, successful season. “We’ve grown in numbers of customers, we’ve grown in numbers of vendors, we’ve grown in terms of our infrastructure, more customer seating, more tents for vendors and an expanded art program and we continue to have live music every week.”

The number of vendors has tripled, from 12-15 three years ago to 30-35 now. “That’s big growth,” Fike noted. “The offerings and variety have definitely grown yet, at the same time, everything is still grown and produced in the Valley.”

As approximately 90 per cent of vendors come from Kings County, market-goers are supporting local producers, Fike added. “We’re a local market with really wide selection.”

Physical presence has increased

With the growth in vendors, the market has grown in its physical presence. When the market, a project of the Wolfville Farmers’ Market, began in 2007 the scene was quite different. “We didn’t have any area blocked off, there was no customer seating,” Fike remembers.

Having a space in the Square where no traffic drives through is a welcome change for participants. “It’s safer for everybody. “I think the community of Kentville is grateful for the farmers’ market,” Fike said, reflecting on the project’s growth. “I think one of the goals was to revitalize that downtown square. People have thought of it as a parking lot, but it was designed as a community space.”

Fike said public response has been wonderful. “Customers are always saying they are happy this is happening here and vendors are happy because it is doing well. “The business community took some time to see that the (market brought) spin-off business for them” and didn’t reduce their customer traffic.

Still some growing pains

However, growing pains do exist, she said. “I think the biggest negative is we’re outgrowing that space. There has been constraint for a couple of businesses and some weeks, when we are at capacity, we’re really squishing people in there.”

Fike would like to see a bit more space for the Wednesday market and the opportunity to run later in the fall. An indoor space would be necessary to make a fall market happen.

Storage of infrastructure is also an issue, and although Lawton’s has provided some outdoor storage space during market season, the situation is hard on equipment, such as tents. “We hope to have a baby barn onsite for storage,” Fike said. A small change, but “from our perspective, that would be huge.”

In addition to a solution to the storage challenge, next summer will hopefully bring continued growth, more signage and more events, Fike said. “We’ll be unveiling our children’s art quilt next year. It’s a collection of children’s paintings on fabric responding to the question, what does a farmers’ market mean to you?” That project is coming together with support from Select Nova Scotia.

The Kentville Market is also very grateful for support and grants they have received, particularly the generosity of the Town of Kentville and the Municipality of Kings.

Wednesday markets end for this season Sept. 30, but Centre Square will host a special market Oct. 3 during Harvest Fest. Fike said there will be familiar faces and some new vendors on the scene, as well as “harvest preserves and pumpkins. “We will have a very large children’s art program that day,” she added, and “bands provided by Town of Kentville.”