Bathurst may see a return to a year-round farmers' market

A year-round farmers' market could soon be returning to Bathurst after two businessmen have offered a proposal to the northern city.

It has been four summers since the year-round market closed and a hotel went up in its place. Ever since that time, northern vendors have been spread out in smaller venues across the city.

One seasonal location in the old agricultural building on Munro Street was destroyed by fire earlier this year.

After the Munro Street location burned down and a local flea market had some insurance trouble, Paul Chapman and René Guitar, two local businessmen, saw a market opportunity.

"There's all these people looking to set up these goods and wares and no place to put it," Chapman said.

He has a building that includes Studio 2, which caters to Bathurst's music fans as a live venue.

Chapman said there is plenty of room in the building to set up a market in the space.

"We've got a kitchen space there and a washroom space there. This is the end of the building. And we have the other end of the building, with Studio 2, so the rest of this space could be open for market," he said.

After a meeting to gauge the interest of the potential market location over the weekend, Chapman said Bathurst vendors are on board.

"We signed up 25 vendors who are interested and there have been three or four since then that have signed up," he said.

The city has yet to approve the proposal that would finally restore a permanent location to the Bathurst market.

A city spokesperson said the city has been speaking with Chapman about the project, but there are details that still need to be finalized.

The Bathurst official would not go into specifics about those talks, but mentioned the need to secure safety and food permits.

A lease hasn't been signed yet for the other half of the downtown building, but Chapman said he expects the details to be smoothed out by next week.

The Bathurst City Market was popular in its heyday, according to some local residents.

"It was a gathering place. I seen people that 10, 20 years ago I didn't see, and I see them at the farmers' market because it's the place to go on Saturday," said Bathurst resident Gilles Breau.

For people, like Breau who still remember the old market, and the community that supported it, the proposal is welcome news.

"I seen the place inside and I said, 'Wow, definitely the interest is there,'" Breau said.