Founders' Hall now open 7 days a week on Charlottetown waterfront

Founders' Food Hall & Market is coming out of the pandemic with the goal of creating a destination for P.E.I. families on the Charlottetown waterfront.

Mary Lou Bassett, the retail operations manager for Port Charlottetown, said it has been difficult to provide a consistent experience for people during the pandemic, with shorter hours and restrictions on how many people could be in the building.

"We've seen before in the past that people have come to the door and nothing is open, so we want to tell everybody: 'We're open seven days a week; come any time,'" said Bassett.

"We really want to create a destination for Islanders."

Founders' Hall had been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. With COVID-19 restrictions easing and more people being vaccinated, the timing is right for a relaunch, said Bassett.

That will include events on the newly completed patio and its mini-stage.

"We have a heat wave festival that's going to be starting this weekend where we're focusing in on young families with balloon-making, face-painting," said Bassett.

"We have new music coming in in the evenings on our outdoor patio that just was finished, from 6 to 8 p.m. So it's exciting times because we're able to really just showcase all the different vendors with local food and also bring the community down to the waterfront."

The new hours for the hall's food vendors are Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. On weekdays, vendors who don't offer hot food are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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