The first-ever Collingwood Market Food Trail featured local farmers and specialty food vendors spread out in small pockets of mini markets this morning.
The weekly pop-up market was founded following the announcement that the launch of the 2020 season of the Collingwood Downtown Farmers’ Market would be postponed until further notice.
“A lot of us depend on the revenue the market generates,” said Monica Roe, the owner of Crooked Tree Fine Foods and the brains behind the operation.
The Market Food Trail included four venues, The Wild Stand, Crooked Tree, Trinity United Church and Chef Patrick with a vendors at each location.
“I thought, why don’t we collaborate and create a local movement where brick and mortar businesses host these hot spots and open our space to other market vendors so they can continue to supply their products to customers,” said Roe.
Roe reached out to several vendors, asking if anyone had space they could share or if anyone needed space — a physical space or a virtual one — in order to sell their products.
“A lot of market vendors have been at the market for years and have a very loyal customer base. We are all here to help each other out,” she said.
Yesterday, eight vendors distributed pre-ordered products between 10 a.m. and noon, with all vendors doing their part to put social distancing measures and safety precautions in place.
“I am going with the whole impulse that, if we act cohesively, as a community we can build this as a temporary solution,” said Roe.
Pre-ordering is currently necessary, but Roe is hoping to create a platform so the ordering process is more convenient for customers in the future.
“The experience is not the same as going to the farmers’ market, but hopefully it's a solution that will at least generate some revenue for everybody and keep our community healthy and happy,” said Roe.
So far, the Collingwood Downtown BIA has not announced an opening date for the market. On May 1, the BIA issued a press release saying there was no expected date to reopen the market and it was possible there would not be a traditional farmers' market this year.
Some farmers' market vendors have gone online via Collingwood Commons, which was built by Collingwood entrepreneur Brandon Houston to help local businesses continue to sell services and products while physical spaces were closed.
To get updates on the vendors and locations for the Collingwood Food Trail, follow the Facebook page here.
