Imagine a farmers market: the sun beating against the pavement, farmers at folding tables selling fresh fruit and vegetables under awnings, and artisans selling locally made arts and crafts.
The hustle and bustle of farmers markets is almost universally understood. Vendors have been selling homegrown goods at community markets for hundreds of years. Indeed, the first documented case of a farmers market in North America took place in Boston in 1634, and they had been happening in communities across the world for centuries before that.
Before the advent of grocery stores, farmers markets were a place for consumers to get fresh food directly from the source. Today, farmers markets are a bit more of an event, and in many communities, they represent more than just a place to buy and sell goods.
The Bragg Creek Farmers Market is one such example. Held every Sunday this summer from June 15 to September 21, the Bragg Creek Farmers Market is a popular attraction for market-goers and is, in the words of the organizers, representative of what the community has to offer.
The market in Bragg Creek consists of over 20 vendors, half of which are locally-based sellers. In the years that Vicki Tozer has been working to organize the farmers market, she hasn’t heard a single complaint from any of the vendors, which she says is a rarity for many farmers markets.
Tozer said she’s given some vendors multiple booths after they’ve requested an additional spot to sell because the foot traffic is so high.
“That’s what you want to hear [as an organizer,” Tozer said.
People come from all over west Rocky View County (RVC) and Calgary come to the Bragg Creek market, and Tozer said the traffic is great for local businesses in the hamlet who benefit immensely from the additional influx of out of town shoppers.
The market is an entry point for shoppers to experience the rest of Bragg Creek, Tozer said.
“It’s just a nice place to wander around, it’s calm and tranquil,” she explained. “Yeah you could drive into the mountains, but sometimes you just don’t want to do that, sometimes you just want to get out of the city and enjoy the tranquil calm. That’s what Bragg Creek is.”
In many cases, farmers markets attract the same collection of vendors, especially in farmers markets in RVC communities where vendors can easily travel to. But the Bragg Creek market has a steady influx of new vendors every week.
As is market policy, Tozer said half the market's vendors are regulars, while the other half are new-- giving shoppers a new experience each and every time.
