Country Market starts 2011 with early start to season

An early start to the 2011 season for the Thunder Bay Country Market should mean a bigger economic impact than 2010, says a market spokesperson.

The Thunder Bay Country Market opened its doors at the CLE grounds a few months earlier this year when it held its grand opening for the season this Saturday. The traditional start for the market is early spring.

Karen Kerk-Courtney, advertising and marketing liaison for the Thunder Bay Country Market Board of directors, said customers have been requesting the market open more frequently throughout the year and hold the grand opening earlier in the season. That led the board to make the decision to go ahead with the early start.

The market made an economic impact of nearly $5 million towards the city last year. Kerk-Courtney said with the earlier start, more vendors and regular customers, the impact the market has on the city should be far greater than 2010.

"The market is growing all the time," Kerk-Courtney said. "We’re getting more vendors all the time and more and more people are becoming more regular shoppers. We’re seeing a steady increase in sales."

The market took a three-week break in December before it returned in January. Some vendors said they felt exhausted with the earlier start, but most were happy to return to work, she said.

While the market traditionally opens on Saturdays, She added there are plans to have the market open on Wednesdays as well. But the plans to finalize that decision won’t happen until sometime in February.

Joe van Koeverden, from London, Ont., enjoyed a spinach and feta turnover while he checked out the market for the first time. He said he often went to local markets back in London and when he moved to Thunder Bay about a month ago he decided to see what the city had to offer.

"Wherever I live I always try to shop at a local market," van Koeverden said. "In London there were a number of local markets. It was pretty good. The markets down there are much larger and there are a lot more vendors. This one is nice. It’s really not that big but it has some nice stuff."

Jeannie Dubois, a wine expert and writer, moved back to the city from southern Ontario in May and has since come to the market almost every week. Working in the wine industry for 10 years, she said she would like to get to know local producers better to perhaps help her business.

"I really believe in farm to table cuisine," Dubois said. "I like knowing where my food comes from and I also like supporting the local economy."