The first outdoor market for the Estevan Downtown Business Association is slated to happen Thursday night.
The market will run from 6-9 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Royal Bank of Canada. The 300-block of 12th Avenue will be blocked off. Merchants will need to remain until 9 p.m.
It is hoped that these markets can be a weekly occurrence.
Josh LeBlanc with the Downtown Business Association said they have about 25 vendors registered already, and they have continued to receive applications. Bakers, artisans, local business owners and much more will be offering their products for sale.
People can also look forward to food trucks and entertainment that will be courtesy of the Ross LeBlanc Trio. The business association is looking for more bands to perform.
There has been a lot of interest in the markets already, he said.
“We’re very confident and excited to get things going,” said LeBlanc.
The market will meet all public health requirements. There will be arrows on the ground that people need to follow, and social distancing requirements will be in place. Vendors won’t be allowed to offer free samples, but customers are able to purchase their food.
LeBlanc hopes that people will check out some of the downtown merchants while they are at the downtown market. All of the stores will be open, and he hopes that people will also visit the restaurants in the downtown area.
He stressed these markets won’t be in competition with the Estevan Farmers’ Markets, which will have their first sale of the year on Saturday morning at the Estevan Shoppers’ Mall.
The downtown market on Thursday will have some similar vendors to the farmers’ market, but it will be a largely different group.
“The list that I’m looking at really aren’t people that I’ve seen at the farmers’ market, so that’s good to see, that there’s a completely different offering here,” said LeBlanc.
They just want to offer something different for the people of Estevan, provide something else to do, and bring people to Estevan’s downtown area.
