After launching the White Rock Farmers鈥� Market 2020 season last month as 鈥渆ssentially an outdoor grocery market,鈥� officials say there will be a bit of sparkle returning to the weekly affair starting this Sunday, as pandemic-related limitations around who can sell relax.
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Market manager Helen Fathers 鈥� who is also a City of White Rock councillor 鈥� said Friday (June 5) that for the first time since the May 3 opening, the market 鈥� operating in the uptown centre 鈥� will boast its full spectrum of vendors, not just those that are food-only.
鈥淭his week will be the first week of going back to all of the vendors, so we are excited, obviously, to welcome back all those vendors that haven鈥檛 been allowed to sell,鈥� Fathers said.
鈥淭hey call me every week, 鈥楥an we come back this week?鈥欌�� she added, referring to jewelry vendors and other artisans who have historically booked stalls at the market.
Up until this week, Fathers has had to answer no, but now, she can say, 鈥溾�榊ou can.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 great.鈥�
Fathers doesn鈥檛 expect, however, that music will be returning to the market this season. Not having that element, she said, has been 鈥渟o hard鈥� a bit of a blow for us.鈥�
Open from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 25, market visitors are asked to 鈥榮hop 鈥� don鈥檛 stop,鈥� as part of measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Fathers said those who have been coming out 鈥� attendance, at around 1,500 per week, is about half of what it鈥檚 been in previous seasons, she said 鈥� are largely mindful of the requests to not simply meander through.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e found is the people that come to the market, they鈥檙e coming鈥� to buy what they want to buy and then they鈥檙e leaving,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually been really positive for the vendors, because the vendors, they鈥檙e selling out. Everyone that is coming, is buying.鈥�
A significant challenge of the pandemic has been the financial impact felt by the restriction on vendors.
鈥淭he biggest thing is鈥� if you don鈥檛 have the vendors paying the fees, then you don鈥檛 have, obviously, you don鈥檛 have the revenue,鈥� Fathers said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not losing money, but we鈥檙e being very, very cautious.
鈥淟ike most businesses, you can鈥檛 continue like this for a large length of time, you have to make drastic cuts.
鈥淲e鈥檙e only surviving because we鈥檝e been able to claim the wage subsidy,鈥� she added, referring to the federal government program that provides businesses with 75 per cent of each employee鈥檚 salary, up to $847 each week.
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Fathers was hopeful an announcement expected from the ministry of agriculture Friday afternoon (June 5) would include some funding allocation for markets.
Another change visitors to the White Rock market may notice this week is a reconfiguration of its layout, due to Bosa beginning construction on the next phase of the Miramar Plaza.
鈥淪o the fence line has been changed on us, so we鈥檝e had to kind of move around that a little bit,鈥� Fathers explained. 鈥淭he market looks a little bit different to what it has done in the past because we don鈥檛 have that bottom south-end area, so we just kind of wrapped it around the community centre.
鈥淲e鈥檝e taken more room on Russell Avenue heading west as well.鈥�
Depending on the turnout, visitors may have a short wait in line to enter. Fathers said there are two entrance points, hand-washing stations and hand sanitizer 鈥� all part of efforts to keep the market operating safely.
鈥淎ll of our staff, we haven鈥檛 had any training in this,鈥� Fathers noted, of running a business during a pandemic.
鈥淲e鈥檙e only using common sense and doing the best we can.鈥�
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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