CORNER BROOK, N.L. — The Wonderful Fine Market is moving to a new location this fall, but the board responsible for the September-to-December weekly craft and food market in Corner Brook is thinking about making bigger changes.
To get input, the board held a visioning session at Grenfell Campus June 25 to talk about expansion.
Wendy Vey is the new chair of the market board. She’s been selling her Wendy’s Whimsie needle felted sculptures since the market started at the Royal Canadian Legion almost six years ago.
“I love the market. I love the social aspect of the market. I think it provides a place for people to gather every week,” she said.
With local crafts, entertainment and different food vendors, people get a taste of what’s out there.
“And it’s also a great place for our local artisans to come together,” she said.
It’s not just a place where they can sell, it’s a place they can talk and catch up with each other and the community members who visit.
“It’s a really lovely social thing for the community. It brings them together. I think it’s a hub kind of thing,” said Vey.
The market also allows local artisans and crafters to try things out, to see how the public may react to their product. The exposure has led some to expand their offerings.
So, with all that in mind the board would like to see the market expand.
“We would love to have our own space that is very inclusive and is welcoming for everyone. We would like to expand it to include more produce and more food,” said Vey.
“We would love to see it go year-round if it’s feasible and sustainable.”
While the changes will take time, she said that the board would like to see it come sooner rather than later.
But there is more work to be done.
“We still need to find out what the community is able to support, what the community is looking for in a community market,” she said.
“If we don’t have the community support then obviously we can’t do it ourselves.”
The visioning session was just a start for the board, and Vey said it will now figure out how to get the feedback it needs from vendors and community members.
In the meantime, the market will move to Club 64 on Broadway when it resumes in September.