You won’t be rubbing shoulders with your favourite area farmers when the Newmarket Farmers Market opens its season Saturday in the Magna Centre south parking lot.
But with a little advance planning, you can still come away with the bounty of the season.
The COVID-19 pandemic and cancellation of large-scale events at the markets’ longtime former home at Riverwalk Commons forced it to a new location at least for the foreseeable future.
What is certain is that the coronavirus crisis has created a new normal way of shopping at the local market.
“It’s such a weird thing, the farmers market is all about socializing with people, coming down and having a visit, bringing your whole family, and we always have a big crowd,” farmers market president Dave Cooper said. “And now we’re purposely trying not to have a crowd, it’s completely backwards.”
The new market setup offers more room to maintain the recommended six feet of distance between others and includes a vehicle lane for pickups (preferred), much like a drive-thru experience, but also a three-metre wide people lane for those who do not drive.
The strict early public health measures in place during what Cooper calls the market’s phase-one approach requires people to pre-order with participating vendors on a new online platform, or call the vendor directly to place an order in advance.
On Saturday market days between 9 a.m. and noon, customers can drive through the market to pick up their orders from vendors. There will not be table displays at this time.
“We’ve built the market in a way that this is our phase-one opening this weekend, and we’re shooting for a phase two which will be like some other markets that are allowed to have a display that’s distanced from customers,” Cooper said. “We have to make a proposal to the Town of Newmarket’s COVID-19 emergency committee, and they have to approve it.”
Since the province is under emergency orders until at least June 9 to contain the virus and protect the public from infection, Cooper expects certain customers who don’t want close contact with others may prefer to stay in their vehicle when they can.
“But there’s a huge number of people who don’t like technology and want to be able to still buy their stuff, too,” he said.
So far, local reaction to the market changes from vendors and shoppers has been lukewarm.
“I get a lot of people who are glad we are working to do something but everybody is hugely disappointed with the circumstances, yet they’re very understanding,” said Cooper. “So everyone’s bummed about it. Even vendors’ sales haven’t been that great and they’re not going to be great, but we have to do this to get opened up. I think it will pay off in the long-term.”
At the same time, Cooper said his group is grateful that the farmers market is the only summer event that hasn’t been cancelled in Newmarket.
Based on public health guidance and best practices put out by Farmers’ Market Ontario, the local market will only feature food vendors for now.
The absence of crafters and on-site food preparation booths has dramatically reduced the number of vendors this year to 15 so far, from a usual 45. Cooper's own business, The Farm Girls Kitchen, is one of the vendors and sells baked goods such as banana loaf and frozen beef.
Cooper expects the number of vendors to grow as the season gets going. For example, an additional three vendors are on board after opening weekend.
If there’s a silver lining, Cooper said, it’s that a government grant obtained by Greenbelt Markets to help get farmers online, and that Newmarket’s farmers market qualified, making it possible for participating vendors to get an online store for free.
“We’ll come out of this with a full online ordering system,” he said. “Things like that have fallen into place. And we’ve received huge support from the town, they’re really behind us.”
Cooper and his team hope to soon move into phase two of the farmers market, which York Region public health has endorsed and the Aurora farmers market launched last weekend.
That would allow people to shop vendors’ displays of goods, while maintaining physical distancing, along with adhering to many other safety measures that could include wearing face masks, leaving children and pets at home, and only one person per household doing the shopping.
The Newmarket Farmers Market is temporarily located at the south parking lot of the Magna Centre, 800 Mulock Dr. It runs until the last weekend in October.
Customers are asked to enter from the west entrance off Mulock Drive. Do not enter from the east roundabout. You are asked to use the drive-thru to pick up orders and do not bring more people than is necessary. A people lane is available for those who do not drive.
For more information on the Newmarket Farmers Market and a full list of vendors’ goods to pre-order, visit here.
