Global Market returns at new location

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This article was published 11/05/2023 (1133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The outdoor market on Brandon’s Rosser Avenue is being dismantled after more than 10 years in operation, and even though it will move to a nearby location, it’s disappointing to a past vendor who said she has fond memories of the Saturday sales.

This summer would have been the 13th for the Global Market on the corner of 12th Street and Rosser Avenue that at its peak had 25 vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to crafts and candles.

Norah Tolmie and her business partner from Aagaard Farms sold a variety of vegetables, goat’s milk soaps from their “wee herd of goats,” and some natural lotions, too, and had a successful run for about five years at the downtown location.

“It was nice to have the Global Market’s structure without having to haul tables and tents, and it was easy parking. I always prefer a summer market outside, especially since we have such a short summer. Rain could be a challenge, but we hardly ever cancelled. That’s what roofs or tents are for,” Tolmie said.

It was a tough decision to move the market indoors to the Re-Fit Store, which is just a stone’s throw across 12th Street, said Erin Coleman, program manager with the Community Health and Housing Association (CHHA), a non-profit organization that helps those in need.

“It’s just not financially sustainable for us to keep the outside Global Market operational. We know how important the market is, and we’ll still have it — inside. There were a lot of costs like staffing, overhead, upkeep and maintenance, and we just couldn’t keep it outside anymore,” Coleman said.

Windstorms last summer wreaked havoc on the canopies that covered the 20 vendor stands, said Stephanie Lockerby, CHHA’s executive director, adding the cost for each cover is $500, and some were ripped beyond repair.

The sidewalk along the outside they called the “yellow brick road” was starting to shift, she said, which caused safety concerns and the realization that fixing it wasn’t affordable.

“The cost of running the market really ballooned,” Lockerby said. “And in the past, our Re-Fit Store was able to support it. But through COVID-19, we lost some income in the store, and last year, we ran a deficit just trying to keep it open. So, we thought we need to make sure it’s safe and we couldn’t do that financially.”

The Re-Fit Store takes donations, including new or gently used furniture, building materials and items destined for salvage or demolition, and sells them at a discounted price, with 100 per cent of the funds going directly to the CHHA, which has been in operation in Brandon since 1956.

The CHHA provides affordable housing, emergency shelters for individuals and their families, a non-medical detoxification centre, and in January, opened Manitoba’s first sober bar on Rosser Avenue.

For Coleman, ensuring the success of the indoor Saturday Global Market is something she takes to heart, because her first introduction to it was almost 10 years ago when she was vendor. And now as a staff member, she said she is hoping for a successful relocation.

“It’ll be a real farmer’s market starting this Saturday, with everything from homemade baked goods and preserves to home décor, as well as flowers, starter plants and someone who does 3D printing. And once the veggies are in season, we’ll have those again, too,” said Coleman.

Workers will dismantle all but one of the wooden structures from the outside space on Rosser Avenue, and they’ll also leave the outside beams standing.

When the piece of land was donated to CHHA by the dry-cleaning business Perth’s in 2008, the company had certain ground rules as to what the land could be used for, said Lockerby.

“The restriction is we cannot build a dwelling on the property. It can either be a parking lot or a gathering space, those were our two options. So, we’re looking to create a really cool community space at some point, but that is a decision that will come from our board of directors — so it’s a huge process, but we’re really excited.”

This Saturday is the grand reopening of the indoor Global Market inside the Re-Fit Store located at 23 12th St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with live music from the Wheat City Jug Band.

For more information, visit bit.ly/42FgSja.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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