PORT HOOD: Michelle Smith, the secretary of the Mabou Farmers Market, swung by council last Monday to give the municipality the lowdown on her group.
“We just finished our 10th season, and if any of you managed to visit us on Sunday or anytime during the summer, you’ll have seen for yourself what a successful local initiative this has become,” she said.
The market was at capacity for vendors for all but five weeks of its 19-week season. With that, the group attracted 20,500 customers in 2016. That’s up from 17,370 in 2015. Both the number of visitors and vendors are up 50 per cent from 2013.
The group also tried to poll its vendors on the amount of money they made during the season. In 2015, the sales were $226,695 and this year sales rang in at $272,000. Those numbers were conservative, Smith said, adding that the true 2015 profit may have been as high as $240,000 with this year’s sitting at $290,000.
“It’s a 17 per cent increase over the previous year,” Smith said. “So customers and income went up at the same rate.”
There are economic implications for the area as well, Smith added, such as the spin-off effects of having visitors come to the area. It would be a realistic projection to double the amount of sales and use that number as an approximation of the total economic impact for the area, she said. Therefore, the Mabou Farmers Market was responsible for $580,000 in economic activity this year.
“That’s from an organization run by volunteers with a budget of under $20,000,” she said.
Expansion was one of the topics Smith addressed, and some maintenance on the upper parking lot of the Mabou Arena – the base of operations for the market – would be a good thing. That would allow for better parking at the market, not to mention other events at the rink.
Putting a gravel pad down might also be a good idea, she said. Such pads can allow for semi-permanent canvas shelter to be erected, allowing more space for vendors.
Smith was scheduled to appear at council prior to the December 5 meeting, but she was unable to attend. That absence, said Warden MacQuarrie, gave council time to research a few of the ways the county could help the market.
“Your report preceded you, and we did have some discussion on the drainage part,” MacQuarrie said, referencing one of the main issues related to the arena’s upper parking lot.
“The land that is adjacent to the arena is municipal property, and municipal staff will have a look at it. That would be one way of coordinating.”