New direction in Saint John for Canada’s oldest continuing farmer’s market

The oldest continuing farmer’s market in Canada is preparing for its next chapter, and taking a page from the architects of an iconic Maritime library building.

A new 10-year strategic plan is being developed for the Saint John City Market.

FBM (Fowler Bauld & Mitchell), designers behind the Halifax Central Library, will be playing a key role in the creation of the market’s future plans.

“I think the spaces and places within a public market have very similar parallels to what you would find in the civic components of a library like the Halifax Central Library,” says Kieron Hunt of FBM.

“When you look at what library spaces are, they’re about bringing together the community, they’re cultural spaces, they’re places for education, for learning, for interaction.”

“And when you trace back the lineages of what a public market is, it’s the convergence of all of society as well as a place for learning, incubating local businesses, and commerce.”

The city says the timing is right for the market to take a new direction.

“We just see it as such a great opportunity especially as we’re now coming out of the pandemic, to really hit the refresh button on what is really known as the heartbeat of Saint John,” says David Dobbelsteyn, the city’s growth manager.

While the Halifax Central Library was built from the ground up, Dobbelsteyn says the Saint John City Market’s storied history will be honoured and enhanced under the new plan.

“There’s so many nooks and crannies of the place that many haven’t seen before, so one of the things we’ll be doing through this exercise is making sure we maximize the value and offering of the space, both internally and externally,” says Dobbelsteyn.

“I think there’s some great public space in and around the building we want to make better use of.”

“We also want to be evaluating how people move through the building. Right now there is a really iconic centre aisle that every visitor to the city wants to come and see.”

“But we also know that sometimes people just move through the market without stopping. So we’re going to be looking at ways to let people to stop and shop and gather.”

One vendor says the market’s new direction has thwarted plans to sell her business.

Vera Bochar, owner of The Baking Stone, is about to retire and says she had a buyer lined up for her business in its current location. Bochar says the proposal was rejected by the city. Bochar says she was told by the city it wished to take the space in a new direction.

“They seem to think that my business didn’t fit their strategic plan going forward,” she says.

“It’s very bittersweet. I’ve been here for 21 years.”

Speaking generally about market vendors, Dobblesteyn said tenants would play a role in determining the building’s future direction.

“But we also have to recognize this is a building that belongs to all of Saint John, and all of its residents. So it has to be something for everyone.”

“Yes, we recognize it’s a place of business, but it’s also a place of community and a place of gathering. We want to be hearing everybody’s voices in where we should be going in the future.”

Hunt said making the market a favourite spot for residents would be key in making it attractive to tourists.

“I think when anybody travels the world you want to go where the local hotspots are. And maybe the inverse isn’t necessarily true,” says Hunt.

“And the market has done a successful job of that through its history. We just want to bring things with a newer lens.”

Public consultations for the new strategic plan will begin May 5, with a pop-up event at the market. A final version of the plan is expected by October.