A LOVELY PLACE TO GATHER
Indoor and outdoor seasonal market a unique addition to River Landing
Businesses and non-profit organizations regularly open and move in Saskatoon.
Today the Starphoenix talks to Depesh Parmar, the executive director for Gather Local Market which will open on May 4 in the Farmers' Market Building and surrounding area in River Landing.
Gather will feature a seasonal outdoor market from May to September, and a year-round indoor market. The freshly designed indoor space offers local restaurant and artisan vendors, a central bar, liquor vendors and will host community events. The outdoor market adjoining the space will offer food trucks, live music, activities and products from farmers' market vendors.
Ideas Inc., which is managing the market, has patterned Gather after similar markets in other cities across North America, including The Forks Market in Winnipeg. They envision Gather becoming a landmark location in Saskatoon for families, friends and tourists.
Q What is Gather Local Market?
A Gather is a local market and social space completely focused on community, which celebrates the best food, drinks and shopping from around the province. This concept is really the first of its kind in Saskatchewan, which is essentially an accessible, inclusive space for people to come together and support everything local.
What excites me the most is we're creating a local market that brings and binds the community together. When you visit Gather Local Market you are able to eat locally produced food, drink locally produced drinks and find locally produced goods all while being immersed in a vibrant and completely renovated building along the riverbank.
Q Who are some of the vendors at Gather Local Market?
A Over 60 vendors will help bring this vision to life. We're proud to have some of the best brands represented at our market, including Lucky Bastard Distillers, Crossmount Cider Company, the Prairie Grazer and Saskmade Marketplace. Saskmade carries products from over 300 different Saskatchewan vendors so it's really exciting to have them physically located
inside Gather. Other vendors include Botte Chai Bar, Pops Shawarma and Spring Creek Garden, to name a few. There will be farmers market vendors outside and different restaurant vendors inside. There is a bar and different liquor vendors in addition to artisan and retail vendors, as well.
Q Gather will offer a bar?
A Something that's completely new to Saskatchewan — a central bar that will be operated by Lucky Bastard Distillers, that will be serving cocktails and mocktails. Imagine walking around eating tacos, having your favourite local beverage in your hand and shopping.
Q What can be found in the outdoor farmers market?
A The outdoor farmers market will be set up in our front yard, which is known as Market Square, and adjacent streets around the building. It will happen two days a week from May to September (Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). From food trucks to live music to farm fresh produce, there will be over 50 farmers market vendors.
Q Is Gather Local Market similar to the Saskatoon Farmers' Market?
A No. Saskatoon Farmers' Market does a fantastic job serving their mandate but Gather Local Market is really the first of its kind in Saskatchewan. Our location is central, it's along a beautiful riverbank, and the indoor market will be accessible six days a week. We'll have a licensed bar showcasing local beverages, and there will be up to eight local restaurants showcasing their culinary talent. The space will host an abundance of community events. I believe there is space in our city for both organizations to thrive and be successful.
Q Could you tell us about the night market?
A The night market will be on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Night markets are a growing trend all over the world. They appeal to another demographic, people that typically wouldn't necessarily visit a farmers market on Saturday mornings. We think that Saskatoon truly will embrace this concept. Because Saskatoon has never tried or explored a night market before, there's an untapped opportunity to roll this out and measure it and see how Saskatoon responds.
Q Where did the idea originate for this market?
A Ideas Inc., that I also work for, is an incubator. We provide support to aspiring entrepreneurs to launch and scale a startup. Ideas Inc. is attached next door to the Farmers' Market Building. In 2019 when the City of Saskatoon was looking for a new operator for the Farmers' Market Building, we jumped on the opportunity. It was a natural fit for us. We were awarded the project just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and then we had to ride that wave out for a number of years. In the last year and a half we've brought this vision to life.
Q Are there similar markets in other cities?
A We've taken inspiration from various markets around North America through my travels. Typically, when I go to other cities, I want to get the best feel for that city and go to their local markets, because that's where I know I'm going to find a lot of the local elements.
One market we've drawn a lot of our inspiration from is The Forks Market in Winnipeg. What we particularly enjoyed about The Forks is that it's a pretty amazing experience that brings the community together through food, drink, entertainment and shopping. And they have a cool space.
The setup is similar to Saskatoon — it's along their water bank as well. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We're taking nuggets of inspiration from various markets, but we figured that if Winnipeg can do it, so can we in Saskatoon.
Q What can the public expect at Gather Local Market?
A We're creating an experience. It is a destination where you're coming with your friends and your family and your kids. It's an inclusive space for everyone to gather. This is going to be a welcome addition to River Landing. We feel that Saskatoon will truly embrace this.
When you visit cities, a lot of people gravitate to local markets because that's where they're going to get the true essence of that local connection. If you want to eat local food and shop local goods, you're going to go to a local market because you're going to get that sense of community. This is not just something for Saskatoon to embrace, it's going to attract tourists.