The Yellowknife Farmers Market is officially over for another year. The final night of 2023 happened at Somba K’e Plaza this past Tuesday.
The original final night was supposed to be Sept. 12, but the organizers decided to extend it one week.
“Because of the evacuation, a lot of the venders could not sell,” said France Benoit, president and co-founder of the market. “We decided to do a market on Sept. 12, which was a week after we were allowed to return, and that was supposed to be our last market. (But) there was great interest from vendors and customers, and some of our vendors sell produce and they needed to liquidate their crops.”
Benoit said since the board had already booked the plaza for 15 weeks, the extension fell within that period, so no extra costs were incurred.
She added that the evacuation posed significant challenges for the vendors as several of them depend solely on the market to sell their wares.
“It was very well received by the community as well,” she said. “It’s a relationship — vendors are there and customers are there as well.”
The number of vendors who participated in the first market after the return of residents was 10 to 15.
“It’s clear that there was strong participation from vendors eager to connect with customers and recover some of their losses,” she said.
Despite challenges posed by the evacuation, Benoit believes this year’s market was on par with post-pandemic numbers in terms of vendors and customers.
“The Yellowknife Farmers Market is not just a market but also a community event,” she said. “It serves as a place where people can connect with each other, support local businesses, and contribute to building a vibrant community.”