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Downtown market adds Sunday event

The Wilson Square Community Market has some limits on its usual space, so to compensate, they added some extra time.
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The Wilson Square Community Market has some limits on its usual space, so to compensate, they added some extra time.

Anyone who goes shopping on Saturdays at the outdoor market in front of the courthouse is in fact browsing through two separate organizations. The Prince George Farmers Market occupies the sidewalks of Third Avenue and George Street while the plaza in front of the courts is occupied by the community market group. They work under different internal rules, so the individual vendors complement one another.

However, growth in the ranks of the community market organization brought them to the point of needing more opportunities for their member vendors. This weekend begins that solution: a Sunday market. And on Sundays, the Wilson Square Community Market has the whole place to themselves.

"It is an experiment. And we will still be in the courthouse square on Saturdays," said Yvonna Breed whose husband is a regular vendor of produce, preserves, dried fruit, nuts and homemade soup mixes.

"There will be some different things on Sunday, from the Saturday market," said Breed. "We've also invited Vanderhoof and Quesnel vendors, if they are interested in coming. We have lots of chalk for sidewalk art, we will have things like hoola hooping, we are hoping to see families down and have a good time for all ages."

While farmers markets in general focus on fresh produce and foodstuffs, with some handcrafting also available, a community market has much more flexibility in the items for sale. Breed said the emphasis in their case is still on the locally produced foods, but she is interested herself in what ideas come forward now that they have two days for vendors to choose from, and all that space to themselves on Sunday.

"There is a demand - very much so. Its been building over a number of years," said Breed. She has seen a hunger from both the customer and the producer side, and she said there is a sense of pride among the core market members about the downtown spirit their group helps to foster in the public.

The new Sunday market will operate until Oct. 26, between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., no matter what the weather.