Developing a year-round indoor farmers market in the Red Deer area is an idea whose time has come, judging by growing interest from business groups.
About five weeks ago, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce started working with two Olds College students on a survey to help determine the feasibility of creating a year-round indoor farmers market in Red Deer.
That survey was made accessible last week, just a few days after Beck Farms and a group of local investors announced they planned to build an indoor farmers market in Gasoline Alley.
Chamber CEO Rick More stressed the timing of the survey was purely coincidental.
“As a chamber, we’re not trying to disrupt anything,” More said.
He said the chamber had no idea a market was planned for Gasoline Alley, and has been exploring the idea of an indoor market for a while. Two years ago, a grant request was made to the provincial government to examine the idea, but was turned down.
“Two years ago, we started playing around with it. We put it on the back burner for a bit. It’s been on again, off again for us.”
Recently, the chamber enlisted the help of Olds College students to work on a case study. The results should be available in the spring to chamber members, including members in Red Deer County.
“Hopefully, a lot of people will respond to it and we’ll see if the need is there.”
More said there is also preliminary information that can be shared with those behind the proposed Red Deer County market.
Related:
Indoor farmers market coming to Gasoline Alley
WATCH: First Red Deer Market of 2019
Those who take the chamber’s quick and easy, 19-question survey will be entered in a draw to win a $50 gift card for Bower Place shopping centre.
To access the survey, visit https://forms.gle/hdR39oNiXtMC4CGq7
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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