St. John's Farmers' Market will soon return. Will the customers do the same?

The St. John's Farmers' Market is planning to reopen soon, but not everyone gets to come back just yet.

The popular community hub could be open again in the next couple of weeks, and vendors are crossing their fingers that customers well return as well.

The Freshwater Road market suspended operations on March 15, just as COVID-19 was arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador

Since that time, many participating vendors have likewise suspended service, while some have been able to continue using online ordering and contactless delivery. 

Executive director Pam Anstey says the market is aiming for early June, though she says it's still too early to set a specific date.

And at least for the time being, not everyone will be coming back.

Crafters will have to wait

According to provincial health guidelines, only certain vendors are allowed at a public market, including those selling food or produce, hygiene products, pet supplies and essentials.

That means dozens of artisans and crafters who sell woodworking, art, and other goods are off the list, at least for now.

Anstey said while public health and safety protocols are beyond their control, organizers are focusing on what they can control.

"Right now we're kind of scrambling to try to figure out how to shift from having a thousand people in this space to having enough that we can all socially distance, and that everybody can be safe," she said. 

The reopened market will be doing things differently, but the new precautions will be familiar to anyone who has been shopping during the pandemic.

Plexiglas dividers will separate customers from vendors, with contactless pay and hand sanitizer available all around.

As well, staff will be regularly cleaning the space, vendors will be spaced out, and there will be one-way traffic lanes.

But some of the changes are more fundamental. Much of the spirit of the market revolved around community gathering and sustainability, with seating and reusable plates. 

"One of the really interesting challenges that we have recently come up against is finding takeout containers because we don't allow Styrofoam here or any sort of polystyrene," said Anstey.

"Finding containers now that all of our food vendors have to do takeout is a bit of a challenge."

Understanding, yet disappointment

For those vendors who have been left out of the reopening, and who are still hurting for business, it's hard to watch it from the outside. 

Tanya King is with Karen's Woodworking, a staple of the Wednesday and Saturday markets. She said it's disappointing to not be included, but she understands the market is doing what it can.

"Some of the craft vendors I've spoken with have been able to sell online, which we did. But there's still people missing out on their primary income."

Even for food vendors preparing to return to the market, this has been a challenging time.

Jonathan Richler, who runs the Jewish Deli, describes the shutdown as feeling "existential." 

"The province has done a great job in keeping the majority of us safe," he said.

"The pandemic has made all of us look in the mirror, and that's what I mean by existential. There's a lot of navel-gazing involved when you're a small business owner as to whether or not you continue."

What about the customers?

Richler is cautiously optimistic about the coming weeks. 

"It's exciting. It's also terrifying," he said. "I don't know if there will be the amount of people through the door for a public market to sustain small business owners."

Still, he's optimistic customers will be back, based on what he has seen already around St. John's. 

"If we're going to wait and outside at a hardware store for 20 minutes to get in to buy a piece of wood, or Costco to get a chicken, why wouldn't you go and support your local vendors?"

While it is unknown how soon "non-essential" vendors will be able to return to the market, online sales have surged as people in the province move to support local businesses.

"Support from the community, and people shopping local has been wonderful," said King. 

"For us our main place to sell is at the market, but for people who don't sell in those venues, they've found an increase in business because people are shopping online and so many crafters are offering free delivery, as we are."

"I think those small things have been helpful."

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