'Like a little family': Summerside Farmers' Market celebrates big milestone

Hundreds of Islanders gathered at the Summerside Farmers' MarketSaturday to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.

Arthur Davies, a vendor and one of the founders of the market, saidhe's amazed at how much it's grown. He saidhe owes it to the community that's grown along with it.

"It's hard to imagine that we've been so successful, because the early years, it was tough going, it really was," Davies said. "But we had a number of people who stood firm and really believed this would work and here we are and it's beyond our expectation."

He said the market was housed in a few locationsbefore finding a home in the Holman Building on Water Street. Davies said when the market first started there were only three or fourvendors. Now, there are more than 40 businessesat the market every Saturday, Davies said, and there's a wait-list of vendors interested in opening a stall.

"I think it's become one of the cornerstones of downtown Summerside," he added.

Caitlin Davieschairs the market's board but is better known to visitors of the market as "The Waffle Lady."She said she started selling waffles at the market whenit openedand that it's thededication of her customers that keeps her coming back week after week.

"The culture of the market is being a part of the community," Davies said. "The people you meet at the market are also the people you work with, the people that you run into at the grocery store, they're the people you see at the doctor's office. We are very much a community."

"Your customers are your neighbours," she added.

Sandra Zarvielives down the street from the market and said she's spent Saturday mornings there since it first opened. She saidthe market has helped give people a place to socialize.

"It gives us a place on Saturday mornings to connect both with vendors and with our friends and family," Zarvie said. "It opens the doors for a lot of the vendors outside of the market too."

'Like a little family'

Jason Matthews is one of the vendors who hasbeen with the market since it started.He said the market has created many opportunities for small local producers to build their businesses.

"Our business wouldn't exist without the SummersideFarmers' Market," Matthews said. "It took us a few years to get there, but we've finally made a business out of it."

Pam MacDonald, who runs East Isle Farms,has been a vendor at the market for the last eight yearsand said she leaves her home in Souris at 6:00 a.m. to make the two-hour drive to SummersideeverySaturday morning.

"It's sort of like a little family and the people who come to the market are very nice.It's just a nice place to come after a busy week," MacDonald said.

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