Symons Valley Ranch Farmers' Market still rebuilding, 1 year after devastating blaze

The Symons Valley Ranch Farmers' Market is still in the process of rebuilding after a devastating fire swept through the building one year ago, leaving 33vendors, andnearly 100 employees,without a place to sell their wares.

"It was a gut punch," co-owner Ken Aylesworth said.

The main building was guttedand vendors have had to hold pop up markets since.

The fire department never determined a cause of the blaze, Aylesworth said.

In December, Aylesworthopened what he calls an old-time general store the Mercantilein what used to be the building's office, selling products from local producers and former vendors.

"Icouldn't believe it. A friend of mine cried, she was really upset. We came every Saturday," said TeresaLizak, one of the shoppers who was out at the Mercantile on Friday.

Dawn Buschertwho runs Shirley's Greenhouse said the Mercantile has been a great, short-term solution.

"In the farmers' market community, it's a small community so we rely heavily on one another to just advocate for other people's businesses, so that's the part of the Mercantile Ilove the most,it's small business, working with small business, working with small business," she said.

Aylesworthand the developers are hoping to have the new market, bigger and better than the old one, back in business by 2019.

He said what made the old market great was the "sense of comfort, trust and respect" between shoppers and vendors, and he said that won't change in the new space.

"We've played a role as a place for people to gather... it's the little things."

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