St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market springing back for fall

by W. Andrew Powell
St. Jacobs Farmers' Market

At the start of September, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market suffered a major loss as their historic main building burnt to the ground. The story made the national news, but what a lot of people didn’t realize was that the market was still open for business after the massive fire.

During a trip last week to St. Jacobs, I stopped by the farmers’ market for a few hours, and I thought I would pass on some of the details about what’s going on as the market starts recovering from the effects of the fire.

Read the blog entry on RoadTripper.ca, and scroll down for a few photos from my visit to the market.

Last week, as my first real break in September, my wife and I bundled up our two-month old and took a trip to St. Jacobs to wander and check out the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market and some of the wares from the local vendors, including the Old Order Mennonite farmers.

One of the first questions I had on Facebook, after I posted a picture from the trip, was when the market had re-opened after the recent fire, on September 2, that destroyed the iconic main building.

If you’re wondering the same thing, the truth is that the market never really closed.

While the main building was certainly one of the big attractions at the farmers’ market, with a variety of food vendors, there is a lot more going on in the main outdoor area, and within the Peddler’s Village building, which survived the fire.

Outside, nothing has really changed. If you’re looking for fruit, vegetables, maple syrup, baked goods, and a range of products like clothes or crafts, all of the vendors are still there, including a number of food stands and trucks. We bought apples, a flat of strawberries, a pumpkin and some gourds, summer sausage, cookies, and rolls just around the outdoor market vendors alone.

Inside the Peddler’s Village, some of the vendors who used to be in the other building have been moved in, including some of the butchers and other food vendors. I was also thrilled to find Gracie’s Cinnamon Buns, one of my favourite vendors at the market, have now reopened in Peddler’s Village. (Their cinnamon buns are basically the best I have ever eaten, outside of the ones my grandmother used to make me as a child.)

It goes without saying that St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market has changed from what it was before the fire, and they’re going to have to work to figure out what to do for other vendors who lost their spaces in the main building?. The next year will of course bring more change for the iconic market and tourist attraction, but they will rebuild, and some time in the next year construction is bound to begin for a new main building that may even improve what was already one of Canada’s best markets.

You can experience the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market every Thursday and Saturday from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, all year round. Check out their website at http://www.stjacobs.com/farmers-market and like the market on Facebook.

Apples for sale
Apples for sale
Fruit vendors
Fruit vendors
Flowers for sale
Flowers for sale
The aisles at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market
The aisles at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market

Join our list

Subscribe to our mailing list and get weekly updates on our latest contests, interviews, and reviews.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More