The Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce executive director is calling the City of Nelson’s decision to move the Wednesday Farmers’ Market “insulting.”
Jessica Piccinin wrote a letter to the City on behalf of Creston Valley Chamber members who regularly participate in the Nelson market, referring to Creston as the “breadbasket for Nelson and surrounding areas.”
“Creston has long served as a breadbasket for Nelson and surrounding areas. The City’s recent decision to relocate the Wednesday Market from Baker Street – announced with extremely short notice – is deeply concerning and, frankly, insulting to the farming community.”
The City announced in May that the Wednesday market would be relocated for the season to Cottonwood Falls Park – providing less than a week’s notice before it was scheduled to start.
About 16 vendors from Creston attend the Wednesday market, and Piccinin says the move has already significantly impacted their sales.
“Our farmers have been deeply impacted by this move with horrible drops in sales. And they are very concerned for their livelihood. So the goal of sending the letter is to represent them and their concerns, and hopefully get the City to realize the mistake they’ve made and encourage them to take those next steps.”
Vendors have reported an average 63 per cent drop in sales, with some experiencing a complete loss.
“When you consider how farming has such tight margins to begin with- so tight that they generally struggle to provide wholesale pricing for grocery stores – to see them experiencing double wholesale pricing drops in sales is shocking. It’s really saddening.”
She said the City’s “continued diversion” in answering vendor pleas to reconsider the move is insulting.
Although the City said it’s exploring options to help, including offering a shuttle from Baker Street to the market, Piccinin claims it’s not enough.
“It’s not good enough by far. The damage that has already been done is terrible. It needs to be put back immediately. How can you buy any of your larger bulk products to store for the winter when you’re on a shuttle bus? How can you even buy a week’s worth of groceries and then get on a shuttle bus? It’s not enough.”
Several vendors, including those from Creston, have already been forced to back out of the market altogether, and even though the City plans to revisit the relocation at the end of July, Piccinin fears it will be too late.
“The vendors are starting to drop out. There will be fewer customers going because there are fewer vendors. Therefore, there’ll be fewer vendors because there are fewer customers. It’s a downward, vicious cycle to no Wednesday market in Nelson and that is a shame.”
She warns that the economic ripple effect could extend far beyond market day, noting how reliant Nelson’s food supply is on Creston Valley farmers, who also supply local grocery stores through wholesale agreements.
“You’ve got a farmer bringing over products, selling at the farmers’ market, and then taking his produce to the Kootenay Co-op to sell there. So now the Kootenay Co-op’s going to lose a vendor, if not more. So now we have less access to food in our grocery stores,” said Piccinin.
“If they are forced to seek alternative markets to sustain their livelihoods, they will likely redirect their wholesale supply chains – putting Nelson’s local food access at further risk.”
Accessibility is another pressing concern.
While she believes Cottonwood Falls is a great location for the Saturday market, Piccinin said its uneven ground and limited parking mean it doesn’t adequately serve all members of the community.
“The downtown location on Baker Street attracted an important demographic – those shopping on their lunch breaks or while conducting other business. It’s not possible to accommodate those who have relied on the Wednesday farmers’ market when it comes to accessibility and food security.”
She would like the City to admit it made a mistake, acknowledge the impact to people’s livelihoods, and genuinely work towards a solution – quickly.
“It’s okay that they made a mistake. They can just own that and fix it right away and make a plan that includes marketing, signage, and has farmers and vendors advocating for the move, so that it doesn’t have this kind of impact.
But this hasty, side-of-the-desk change with complete disregard for people’s livelihoods is just unacceptable. It’s a great way to lose trust within our municipality. And in this day and age, we can’t afford to lose that trust, along with losing our food sources.”
Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.
