Ross Street Patio (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Alessia Proietti

Not enough vendors

The inaugural Downtown Saturday Market has been postponed to 2024

May 19, 2023 | 11:15 AM

Red Deer’s inaugural Downtown Saturday Market will no longer be taking place this year, according to a recent announcement by the Downtown Business Association (DBA).

The DBA said although the market was scheduled to open this May long weekend, they had to postpone the weekly event to next year due to “time constraints and logistical challenges”.

On April 26, the DBA announced their new market to open on May 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., every Saturday until October 7, for vendors of all types from fresh produce to handmade goods. The market was to be located in the downtown core along Ross St, between 51 Ave and 49 Ave, and along Gaetz Ave, between 51 St and 48 St.

Amanda Gould, the DBA’s Executive Director, said when the news broke that the city’s long-time farmer’s ‘Market at Red Deer’ would be moving location from the nearby Pidherney Centre, they wanted to fill the gap that would be created in the downtown area.

READ: Red Deer city council says farmers’ market will need to move location this season

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However, on Wednesday, the DBA announced on Facebook this would no longer be happening.

Gould explained they came “late to the game”, with only three and a half weeks to prepare following their public announcement of the market.

She said many of the over 300 vendors they reached out to had already committed to other markets, leaving them with roughly 40 compared to their desired 100 vendors.

“We didn’t want to put on an event that wasn’t absolutely 100 per cent full and brilliant,” she said.

“We were really warmed by the supports that we were getting from the community but we just didn’t have the vendors and if we don’t have the vendors to put on a market, we don’t want to pull them to downtown for something that isn’t as great as it could be. You only get one chance at making a first impression and we want to make the right impression and get maximum impact for our business community.”

She says the DBA had discussions to potentially push the market’s opening to a later date this year; however, she didn’t anticipate vendors’ schedules changing as the season went on.

Various comments from the public on the post mentioned the conflicting times the downtown market would have had with the Market at Red Deer, taking place every Saturday morning in the city for the past 52 years.

Gould explained that besides wanting to bring traffic to the downtown on Saturdays, they also wanted the market to be open during store hours, including their 10 a.m. start times.

Instead, Gould says they hope to open next year and consult with vendors on a day and time suitable for them, with one idea potentially being Saturday afternoons.

She said there are still plenty of activities taking place in the downtown core all summer long for Red Deerians to enjoy, including the traditional Wednesday Farmer’s Market.

Beginning on May 24, and every week following, from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m., accredited by the Alberta Farmer’s Market Association, the market on Little Gaetz is for all vendors that “make it, bake it, or grow it”, says Gould.

She adds this year will be their largest Wednesday market in their 13-year history with over 30 vendors.

The DBA added that not only will free live music still be available every Tuesday to Friday on the Ross Street Patio but also every Saturday from 2 – 4 p.m. Entertainers of all kinds can also rent the stage every Saturday with the Host-It program and they say festivals will also be taking place this summer in the Entertainment District, the only one of its kind in the province.

READ: Red Deer city council considers designating a downtown Entertainment District

“There is so much to see and do downtown and there are so many different things happening. Over the summer, make sure you come down,” she said.