The Owen Sound Farmers’ Market online store has opened for business, once again allowing market patrons to purchase their favourite products for Saturday pickup at the market building.

“The COVID-19 shutdown is the longest period the market has been closed in more than 100 years of operation,” says Owen Sound Market Vendors Association President Laura Buckler.

While some vendors have been able to make alternate arrangements for the sale of products, people have been missing their Saturday morning market visits.

“Opening the online store will allow us to connect people with the high quality fresh local foods they’ve become accustomed to,” says market co-manager Richard Thomas. “And as we get our delivery methods streamlined, we’ll be adding more vendors to the store in the coming weeks.”

Access the store through the market website www.owensoundfarmersmarket.ca or Facebook page. It’s open from Sunday morning until Thursday at noon to allow people plenty of time to shop. Producers will deliver their items to the market on Saturday morning, where a team of packers will assemble orders for pickup Saturday afternoon.

“We’re asking people who come by car to park at city hall and place a piece of paper with their surname on the dashboard,” Thomas says. “A volunteer will approach, read their name, retrieve their order from the market building, and place it in their car.”

Order pickups will be alphabetically staggered:

If your last name begins with A - I, your pickup time is 1-2 pm.

If your last name begins with J - R, your pickup time is 2-3 pm.

If your last name begins with S - Z, your pickup time is 3-4 pm.

The online store was created with the assistance of Greenbelt Markets and utilizes a food hub platform designed by Local Line in Waterloo.

source: media release, Owen Sound Farmers' Market