The Red Deer Downtown Business Association has announced it will launch a weekly Saturday market later this spring.
The association’s first Saturday market will begin at 10 a.m. on May 20 on Ross Street and Little Gaetz. The market will run for 21 weeks.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the DBA to really showcase the downtown and its businesses. It will enable visitors to shop local with both the vendors and brick and mortar businesses while exploring some of the other attractions, including the many murals that are located all over downtown,” said Amanda Gould, DBA Executive Director.
“It’s exciting to be able to have all of the vendors there and all of the visitors to support the vendors and to support the downtown. … It’s just a great opportunity to be able to put the downtown in the limelight.”
The new market’s opening is the same day the weekly Red Deer Public Market will begin its 53rd season. In previous years, the public market was held in the Servus Arena and Pidherney Centre parking lots every Saturday from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving weekend. But after city council voted not to renew its agreement to operate at that location, the market decided to move to Red Deer Polytechnic.
Gould said she doesn’t believe that either the new downtown market or the public market at RDP will be negatively affected due to being held on the same day.
“I think there is enough business in Red Deer to go around,” said Gould.
This new open-air urban market will have a range of vendors, including artisans and farmers. There will also be live music, as well as food and drink options on the Ross Street Patio during the market.
The cost to be a vendor in the new DBA Downtown Saturday Market is $40 per week. All vendors must complete an application form to attend – the application is available on www.downtownreddeer.com. The application can be both completed and submitted online. There are no restrictions on vendors, the DBA noted.
Once an application is approved, vendors will be contacted by the market manager to confirm the online payment process and be provided with a booth number and map for access.
Brandon Bouchard, DBA Board Chair and general manager at Tribe Restaurant, said this new market will be “transformative” for the downtown.
“This is not just a win for the downtown, but for the community, and if we want to succeed in revitalizing the downtown core, this is the biggest and most effective step we can take,” said Bouchard.
The DBA will continue to host its Wednesday markets in the city’s downtown as well. The first Wednesday market of the year is set for May 24.
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