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General Retail News
Today's the day - Wednesday markets return to the Kitchener Market.  Hope everybody can get out to support the initiative.  Eby St closed, licenced bar, 4pm to 8pm.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.5189363
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(06-26-2019, 11:27 AM)panamaniac Wrote: Today's the day - Wednesday markets return to the Kitchener Market.  Hope everybody can get out to support the initiative.  Eby St closed, licenced bar, 4pm to 8pm.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.5189363

We checked out the Wednesday market but I wasn't overly impressed.  It seemed less of a market and more of a carnival.  And the Virgin Radio blaring music beside Four All ice cream didn't help.  There seemed to be enough people but the selection of vendors was very limited.  We will probably not return to the other Wednesday markets.  Now, if it was a full market like Saturday, we'd be regulars.
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The longest journey begins with a single step.  The only way there will be an evolution toward a full Wednesday market is if people support this initiative.  Hopefully they'll seek public input on how to improve over time.  I don't know if it's being considered, but I'd hope that we'll see Wednesday markets from Victoria Day to Labour Day (at least, maybe Thanksgivingt?) next year.
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(06-27-2019, 08:05 AM)panamaniac Wrote: The longest journey begins with a single step.  The only way there will be an evolution toward a full Wednesday market is if people support this initiative.  Hopefully they'll seek public input on how to improve over time.  I don't know if it's being considered, but I'd hope that we'll see Wednesday markets from Victoria Day to Labour Day (at least, maybe Thanksgivingt?) next year.
Thank you, I couldn't have said it better myself.
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Nicely said.  But were either of you at the market yesterday?
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(06-27-2019, 08:24 AM)jgsz Wrote: Nicely said.  But were either of you at the market yesterday?
I was not because I was at work, but, I am planning on taking the family there, on the LRT !!Hopefully next week or the week after schedules permitted  I do love the Saturday market, I really wish we could have that everyday like the St Lawrence market...
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Alas, my support must be moral this year.
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I'm usually pretty cynical but I liked the Wednesday market. They only had a couple of produce vendors but the ones that were there were a couple of the best small farmers. (Although local variety is a bit limited this early in the growing season). The food stalls on the top floor were active and very well patronized. The Shortfinger Brewing/Ravel Cider stall had a good selection - even had a small bottle shop to take some home. (And when did the city stop being completely uptight about beer drinking - they weren't blocking access to the beer tent at all, and people were actually walking around outside with beverages like we were in Europe or something).

It seemed like more of a food/drink event than a farmer's market per se, but it has a lot of promise. Maybe as vendors see that people are showing up that will lead to more vendors - I'm surprised that The Yeti wasn't open for this.
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(06-27-2019, 09:04 AM)goggolor Wrote: I'm usually pretty cynical but I liked the Wednesday market. They only had a couple of produce vendors but the ones that were there were a couple of the best small farmers. (Although local variety is a bit limited this early in the growing season). The food stalls on the top floor were active and very well patronized. The Shortfinger Brewing/Ravel Cider stall had a good selection - even had a small bottle shop to take some home. (And when did the city stop being completely uptight about beer drinking - they weren't blocking access to the beer tent at all, and people were actually walking around outside with beverages like we were in Europe or something).

It seemed like more of a food/drink event than a farmer's market per se, but it has a lot of promise. Maybe as vendors see that people are showing up that will lead to more vendors - I'm surprised that The Yeti wasn't open for this.

This is amazing.  More of this to come??  I doubt it, but one can hope.
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I agree, their tone is more festive than market, but I don't mind that, I find the market crowded and busy, which is, I'm sure, good for the vendors, but also unpleasant to me personally (I still attend because well...where else am I going to get my local produce). This event was still busy, but not crowded, being outside probably helps a bit. That being said, I found what I needed at the market on Wednesday, there were some produce growers as well as a few vendors of other foodstuffs.

Somehow I missed entirely the beer tent/portion, but I also walked in from the south side of the market through the empty parking garage past the empty first floor and for a time was convinced it wasn't happening, so maybe I just didn't enter the right way. I would suggest more signage around the market building.

I had already had dinner so I didn't want to stop and eat, but otherwise I probably would have had something to eat.

Very happy with the result.

Would be interesting to see the Saturday market expand into Eby St. and Down Market Lane as well, they need to do something to keep the weather at bay in the shoulder seasons, but it would go a long way to making the market less cramped, and make room for more vendors.
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Market Lane would make a great location for a Saturday flea market.
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I think the province relaxed beer-garden regulations recently. Don't recall the specifics.

I'll be able to check this out next week, hopefully; should be interesting!
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(06-27-2019, 10:31 AM)panamaniac Wrote: Market Lane would make a great location for a Saturday flea market.

THIS. 1000 times this. We need a good flea market in town and St Jacobs really isn't that any more.

It was a good vibe last night. There weren't a ton of vendors with produce etc. but there was plenty of other stuff going on. A few more would do wonders. I think it's important to go support this initiative so they can actually have something to build on moving forward (not that it wasn't well attended already!). And the Yeti not being open was a shocker. It was fairly busy and it being open would have only added to the event.
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(06-27-2019, 07:48 PM)Lens Wrote:
(06-27-2019, 10:31 AM)panamaniac Wrote: Market Lane would make a great location for a Saturday flea market.

THIS. 1000 times this. We need a good flea market in town and St Jacobs really isn't that any more.

It was a good vibe last night. There weren't a ton of vendors with produce etc. but there was plenty of other stuff going on. A few more would do wonders. I think it's important to go support this initiative so they can actually have something to build on moving forward (not that it wasn't well attended already!). And the Yeti not being open was a shocker. It was fairly busy and it being open would have only added to the event.

They close at 3pm on weekdays, no?  It seems a missed opportunity, but they may not have the resources/manpower to extend their opening hours.
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I always find it funny when downtown Kitchener retailers are closed during events. I think it's a very old fashioned attitude to not hustle and open your doors when there's throngs of people just outside. It also makes the core seem very stale.
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