Sales at Sault Ste. Marie’s Soo Market have shown huge growth since its move from a former fish hatchery in the city's waterfront Canal District to the new Downtown Plaza location last September.
Market manager Robert Pryor estimates vendor sales have increased by 25 to 50 per cent on average, due to increased foot traffic that has persisted long after the initial “honeymoon period.”
“Once word got out about how successful we are here, the number of customers attending has grown by leaps and bounds,” said Pryor. “We’ve been a breeding ground for success.”
The market was originally a for-profit farmers market started in 2014 called The Mill Market. It evolved into the Soo Market by transitioning to a not-for-profit in 2019 to better serve the community and the vendors.
“Vendors got together to run a not-for-profit for the vendors by the vendors,” Pryor said. “We have mostly disassociated ourselves from the previous for-profit iteration of the Mill Market.
"As a not-for-profit, we’re currently celebrating our fifth year. We don’t trumpet this because our goal is to serve the citizens of this community by offering farm fresh produce, and an eclectic collection of foods and arts and crafts. We’re fulfilling our mandate without a lot of hullabaloo.”
In 2022, the city approached the not-for-profit with plans to develop the Downtown Plaza. “They were looking for an anchor tenant. So after grants and funding from the government, we moved into a newly renovated building right downtown in September 2023.”
Strategic, state-of-the-art location
The new Soo Market has been purpose-built for vendors’ needs.
“In the old Mill Market building, we had to work around the existing floor plan, and there was a built-in inequity because of how the space had to be used," said Pryor. "Now we can use every inch of the floor plan to accommodate booth space. We have created a much more judicious use of the space. We’re currently operating at maximum capacity.”
Their increased capacity includes about 20 per cent more vendors, Pryor said.
“Our vendor capacity has increased from 30 to 44. There are 39 vendors indoors and the city operates five mobile retail units in the lot outside.”
The new location has proven more convenient for a wider variety of customers from all income brackets.
“We are now within walking distance to many downtown apartment complexes and a seniors' centre,” said Pryor. “We’re also on bus routes, so if you don’t have a car the location is still accessible. There were no residential developments near our old location, so this has created a lot of demand.”
The increased downtown customer base has also allowed for increased year-round hours of operation.
“Our Thursday program, which started at the beginning of May, has increased opportunity for people to shop mid-week. I consider this a big accomplishment. We used to operate as a Saturday-only market.… We give people a reason to shop for the weekend, to pick up their produce and fish … and go straight to their camps or cottages.”
The biggest challenge at the new location so far, Pryor said, is parking. “We have about 40 spots adjacent to us, and about 1,450 spots within a five-minute walk.… We are constantly working with the city to find solutions. We have come up with remedial opportunities, and will be better prepared for our next year.”
Fresh, healthy, local
The downtown was previously facing a dearth of food-shopping opportunities after the closure of a Wal-Mart, making the Soo Market essential for providing fresh, healthy, and local foods sourced from the Algoma District. “Currently,” Pryor said, “There is no other (full-service) grocery store located right downtown.
“You do sometimes pay a premium because it’s a farmers market,” said Pryor. “The things we sell here are hand-baked and packaged and there’s a time component that goes into that. People coming to a farmers market shouldn’t expect Wal-Mart.… If (customers) want expert sourdough, we have a Mennonite baker who charges $5 for a loaf, but it’s hand-crafted, made the old-fashioned way.”
Pryor finds customers often prefer to supplement their other groceries with quality local products.
“The eggs that I buy are fresh that week, or that day, the strawberries I buy are picked the morning of, not sitting in a grocery store. People want fresh and local. In general, people would like to support their fellow citizens. When you go to Sobeys, you send your money away. Here, people have a farm down the road from you.”
Smart governance
The success of the Soo Market owes a huge thanks to its funding-savvy board of directors. “We have an excellent grant writer on our board of directors,” said Pryor. “We have so far been successful in getting about $2.4 million in grants.”
This number includes a $1.7-million grant through the federal government’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program (GICB), and a Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) grant for $500,000.
“The city fronted $3 million for renovation costs (for the new building),” said Pryor. “But the Soo Market as an anchor tenant has a long-term lease with the city. We’ve paid back $2.4 million at this point. We’ll be continuing to make lease payments to the city going forward, so the taxpayers and the city are not on the hook for our new facility. We’re only on the hook for about $500,000 to be paid back over the next 30 years.”
Success stories
Pryor’s favourite success stories are those that involve businesses that “organically grow” from part-time hobby producers into successful, full-time operations.
“We had a Finnish baker who was massively successful and has grown from a one-day operation to now owning a bakery in town open five days a week.”
The market has also aided in securing GICB funding for Syrian refugees operating a restaurant in one of the market’s outdoor food trucks. “They’re open six days a week, selling shawarma.”
Pryor is also particularly proud of the feelings of charity and togetherness a centrally located, community-based endeavour like the market generates for Sault Ste. Marie.
“At the end of the Saturday market, a lot of the farmers have produce left over, so our farmers donate the leftovers to the Salvation Army, who takes it back to their kitchen and uses it to serve the underserved. We don’t take credit for this, but it’s something we have always done.”
In terms of plans for the future, Pryor hopes the market will continue to expand to dynamically serve the community and vendors in any way it can.