Seaforth Community Market

Patrick Irwin and Natalie Slaght, organizers of the Seaforth Community Market, had planned on a year-round, indoor market full of vendors and customers and were well on their way to achieving this when a global pandemic slowed those plans.

The market is now bigger and better than it was when it was shuttered due to the COVID-19 crisis. As Huron East reopened early in the summer along with the rest of the province, the market turned into an outdoor market to accommodate the number of vendors and customers that it attracts. The huge outdoor area at the Seaforth Agriplex has allowed the market to grow, averaging more than 30 vendors each week, sometimes bringing more than 40.

Slaght said the market is growing by word of mouth and attracting vendors from farther distances, which provides more variety in the products available. They now see artisans with sewn, knitted and handcrafted items, health and beauty products, green and eco-friendly retailers, hot take-out food and the ever-popular farmers’ produce such as vegetables, milk, cheese and yogurt.

“The biggest surprise for customers is the vendors,” says Slaght. “They are great people delivering quality products, and making it a friendly atmosphere to shop in!”

The market runs from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday at the Seaforth Agriplex, 140 Duke St, Seaforth. The current plan is run until at least Thanksgiving, but the dream is to return to an indoor market at the Agriplex if the pandemic conditions subside, so monitor theirFacebook page to see when that can happen.