Surrey Urban Farmers Market opened June 15 with one big change for the summer season ahead.
This year, vendors will set up every second Saturday (bi-weekly) at Royal Kwantlen Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in a move from weekly operation.
"We'll try it and see how it goes," said Anna Hall, who co-manages the market with Beth Colborne, maker of Radiance Soaps.
Showcasing local farmers, food producers, artisans, crafters and community groups, the market first set up at Royal Kwantlen Park (104 Avenue at Old Yale Road) three years ago after moving around North Surrey over the past decade.
"I'd say there have been some growing pains," Colborne conceded. "We're not very visible to the main traffic there, which would be helpful, but we are a growing little farmers' market, slowly getting bigger and bigger. A lot of people don't know we exist, and we're working on that."
The next market is planned June 29, with eight more to follow on July 6, July 20, Aug. 3, Aug. 17, Aug. 31, Sept. 14, Sept. 28 and Oct.5.
The market has an annual impact of $490,000 on the local economy, according to a 2023 study conducted by BC Association of Farmers' Markets, with annual direct sales of $327,000. The average shopper at the market spends about $33.29 per visit, with more than 13,000 visits and 9,800 shoppers annually, the study found.
Also of note, 38 per cent of survey respondents visit the Surrey market either regularly ("almost weekly") or frequently ("2-3 times per month"), according to the 25-page study, posted on bcfarmersmarket.org.
"The weather on the day of the assessment (July 8, 2023) was a beautiful, hot summer day," the study notes. "There were approximately 22 vendors present. The total estimated number of people attending Surrey Urban Farmers Market (that day) was 384."
Colborne, who makes soap at her home in Newton, called the study numbers "very positive, and we're really hoping to grow on that. Our big thing is getting more people to know that we're there. That's the biggest struggle we have."
On June 15, the first market of the year featured fruit and produce from five local farms, five arts & crafts vendors, another five selling prepared foods, three beverage vendors, Andale and Bravo Gelato food trucks and live music by Lisa Rae-Simons.
"It's very diverse, the things sold at the market," Colborne said. "We have entertainers every week as well, and we try to make it as interesting as possible for everybody. We're always looking for new vendors and new farmers to join in with us. There's an application on our website (surreymarket.org), and we ask about the products people want to sell.
"It all has to be whole foods and products that people create themselves, and there's no reselling of products at all," Colborne added. "What we want are people starting up businesses and creating on their own. We really want to support those kinds of people."
Hall says it's more important than ever to have the market in the urban area of Surrey "to keep the community connected with our local growers and makers. We are also looking for volunteers, as we are a volunteer-run not-for-profit farmers market."
Elsewhere in the city, Discover Surrey's website also lists Clayton Market (held twice-monthly at Clayton Community Centre) and Cloverdale Market Days (monthly on select Saturdays from May to September).