New market being held in St. Boniface this summer

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This article was published 08/06/2022 (1220 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. BONIFACE

NORWOOD FLATS

There should be something for everyone at a new weekly market that’s being held in St. Boniface this summer.

Weather permitting, the Marché d’été St. Boniface Summer Market will be held throughout the summer every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. until Aug. 25 on Esplanade Riel.

An initiative of the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM), the council has partnered with Tourisme Riel and the Réseau en Immigration Francophone du Manitoba to hold the market. At press time, a total of 32 vendors were scheduled to take part in the market on a rotation basis throughout the season.

Desirae Rambow, CDEM’s tourism development officer, said there will be five or six tents set up each week, and there will be one or two vendors per tent. She said the goal is to showcase local products by local entrepreneurs, and she’s excited that local vendors — many of whom don’t have a storefront location — will have an outlet to showcase their products in the community in the next three months.

“We work closely with local entrepreneurs and francophone entrepreneurs, and the market gives some of the people we work with an outlet,” Rambow said. “It gives them the opportunity to get their products on the market or test products that are in their early stages. At CDEM, it’s important for us to help in any way we can.”

“We felt like a market would work well,” she said.

In light of the fact that in-person events have largely been on hold for the last two years, Rambow said the market will provide a great opportunity for vendors and customers to meet face-to-face.

“Supporting small businesses and the local economy is what we do,” Rambow said, noting there will be sanitization stations at the market.

“Obviously, we’ll be taking safety precautions, but it will be nice to see vendors in person again.”

Visitors to the market, depending on the week, can expect to find hot sauce from Komera Inc., flowers and plants from Norwood Florist, artisanal peanut butter from Chaps Peanut Butter, homewares from Sun Juice Co., clothes from Inspire D’Elykia, and beauty products from Taloua Garden — to name a few.

Also on the vendors list is Brian Pound, the owner of Fly-In Feeder. The Norwood Flats resident creates fly-in feeders and silver bullet feeders for birds, as well as bird tucker — a suet mixture packed with protein, carbohydrates, fibre, fats, vitamins, and minerals, according to Pound’s website.

Tucker is a slang word for food, which Australians and cultural observers will be familiar with. Pound hails from Melbourne, Australia.

“I’m excited about the idea of the market, and excited to be there,” Pound said. “I think the whole idea is a really good one.”

Rambow said the market is part of a new, overarching initiative called Jeudis de la francophonie (Francophonie Thursdays), which is intended to bring people together in the southeast Winnipeg community. The intention is to develop summer programming led by organizations and businesses in the area, in conjunction with Provencher BIZ and Norwood Grove BIZ.

Go online at cdem.com for more information, including a complete list of vendors.

Visit flyinfeeder.ca to learn more about Fly-in Feeder.