No slowing down for Charlottetown Farmers Market - Action News
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No slowing down for Charlottetown Farmers Market

The Charlottetown Farmers Market ended another solid year on a good note, and things look promising for 2017.

Market ends busy 2016 with plans for more improvements in 2017

Plans are underway at the Charlottetown Farmers Market to allow venders to set up outside by next winter. (Stephanie Brown/CBC)

The Charlottetown Farmers Market ended another solid year on a good note, and things look promising for 2017.

Even though Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fell on Saturdays, market manager Bernie Plourde said the market continued to be busy as people stuck to their regular routine.

"We were well-received," Plourde said. "2016 was a good year."

The Charlottetown Farmers Market continues to be busy, even on the first Saturday in January. (Stephanie Brown/CBC)

The market is open on Saturdays and for the past seven years Wednesdays as well from June through Thanksgiving.

Plourde said 2,000 to 3,000 people usually visit the market on Saturdays, and Wednesdays are catching up.

"We don't track our vendors' sales, they keep that to themselves, but just by asking anecdotally how are your sales today and people reporting back, 'I sold just as much as I did on Saturday.'"

Lynne Douglas, owner of Sheep's Clothing, has seen the market grow "amazingly" in the 30 years she's been a vendor.

Market manager Bernie Plourde says plans are underway to equip the building with LED lights and solar panels. (Stephanie Brown/CBC)

"At this time of year there would be essentially nobody in here. You could have had a bowling game down the aisles," she said on Saturday. "But now, even in the times of year when there's not a huge amount of business, everybody comes."

Tyler Gallant, owner of Gallant's Shellfish and Seafood, has been at the market for a little over a year. He said he sells to 300 to 400 people each Saturday.

"We're really happy with how many people come in here. We really couldn't fit anymore people in the building I don't think," he said.

Lynne Douglas, owner of Sheep's Clothing, says the market has grown amazingly in the past 30 years. (Stephanie Brown/CBC)

"I think people want to eat local food. They also want things that are fresh and kind of grown on their own soil or found around in our own waters. I think that's the promise of the building, really."

With 2016 in the books, Plourde said there are plans underway for improvements in 2017. For example, they plan to make the building more sustainable by switching to LED lights and adding solar panels. They also plan to build a cover so, by next winter, vendors can set up outside.

With files from Stephanie Brown