There’s a sense of normalcy at the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market when it’s bustling with locals and tourists looking to support farmers and artisans from the Okanagan.
“Today, we have 85 to 90 (vendors). It’s not the 165 we normally do but it feels a lot more like the normal farmers market and I think a lot of people are looking for normalcy,” said David Price, Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafter’s Society’s president.
While organizers are thrilled with the number of people attending the market, they are also taking all the precautions they can to make sure buying local remains safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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“We have all our staff on board,” said Frances Callaghan, Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market coordinator. “There’s one of us constantly walking the market.”
Shoppers can walk down the one-way aisles to peruse the booths and pick up some local goods and vendors have hand sanitizer at each booth for customers to use.
“We have a small store on our farm but we sell 60 per cent of our total annual sales right here at the market so it’s really important to be here for our business,” said Rachelle Zelaney of Zelaney Farms.
The Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays on the corner of Dilworth Drive and Springfield Road and their Satelite Summer market is open Sundays on Bernard Avenue.