Old Strathcona Farmers' Market set to open on Sundays

Emilie Rubayita · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

After operating lone connected Saturdays for much than 40 years, Edmonton's Old Strathcona Farmers' Market volition beryllium unfastened connected Sundays, starting adjacent month. 

The marketplace volition beryllium unfastened connected Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., opening May 3. 

This determination follows a survey showing beardown lawsuit enactment for a Sunday opening and the city's request to summation enactment and vibrancy successful the area.

The enlargement has prompted mixed reactions from the market's vendors, but galore accidental they are excited for the change. 

Tammy O'Brienne, proprietor of candle concern Eternal Flame, acknowledges the situation for some, particularly since the marketplace has traditionally been a one-day event. 

"I bash cognize for a batch of vendors it is affecting them due to the fact that it has been a single-day marketplace for the past 42 years almost,' she said. "[Sunday} is our religion day, that's the 1 time a week to walk with our families."

O'Brienne says for her business, the caller Sunday opening is simply a large accidental to pull much customers, but she wishes the marketplace would beryllium unfastened later. 

"For myself, I'm 100 per cent for it, I conscionable deliberation it should beryllium longer hours," O'Brienne said. "A batch of radical don't unrecorded successful the city, truthful to person to put determination to slumber for the night, it should beryllium a longer day."

Alison Wiznura-Rubens, proprietor of Bubbles + Bliss Soap Company Inc., is enthusiastic astir the change. 

"Change is inevitable and it tin beryllium thing precise positive," she said. "Our attack for the institution and with the marketplace is conscionable to clasp it and spot wherever it takes us."

Although Wiznura-Rubens says she volition person to prosecute idiosyncratic to support up with the caller Sunday schedule, the change besides gives the institution country to be different markets connected Saturdays. 

Micaela Szpigiel, the farmers' market's communications coordinator, said the alteration volition springiness customers much assortment and an accidental to proceed supporting local. 

"We're expecting to spot our customers span retired implicit the 2 days,"  said Szpigiel. 

"Most of our vendors volition beryllium precisely the aforesaid arsenic Saturday. There volition beryllium immoderate smaller vendors that won't beryllium determination connected Sunday, but volition beryllium determination connected Saturday."

Szpigiel said determination has been a batch of enactment for the change, with galore looking guardant to the other time of shopping. 

"Lots of the assemblage has conscionable expressed that they're thankful this is yet happening. Now that they tin travel connected a 2nd day, if they hide something, they're capable to travel backmost to our marketplace and not spell elsewhere."

Both the marketplace and the vendors person been preparing for the alteration for months, said Szpigiel. The marketplace has besides launched a occupation committee to assistance vendors prosecute other unit for Sunday operations.

A caller walk-in cooler is being installed, allowing vendors to store their products for some days without the hassle of unpacking and reloading. 

The City of Edmonton is besides successful favour of the change, arsenic it aligns with its Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy. 

"The marketplace is simply a captious portion of the community. We admit that this is simply a large alteration for the market, and we're precise excited to spot them grow their hours and bring this practice gathering to beingness each play long," said Chris Hodgson, the city's subdivision manager of existent estate, in a statement. 

"We're hoping it volition bring adjacent much visitors into the Old Strathcona and assistance enactment the vibrancy and walkability of the area."