Saint John City Market coming back to life as shops reopen

Saint John City Market survives second pandemic Vendors at the Saint John City Market navigate the old landmark's second pandemic.

SAINT JOHN — Through the course of its history, the Saint John City Market has seen more than its share of challenging times.

The building opened in Saint John, N.B., in 1876. It survived the 1877 Great Fire of Saint John, which devoured much of the rest of the city, and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

“Saint John Fire, the influenza, polio, measles, you name it,” says market vendor Liam Freill.

“We've seen it grow, we've seen it resettle, we've seen it rebuilt, and we've seen it revamped.”

Linda Cooke is a veteran among market vendors, with more than 27 years on the aisle.

After a two-month pandemic pause, Cooke has returned to her little corner of the city market.

“It's absolutely wonderful, it feels like I'm home,” says the vendor.

The Saint John City Market is slowly coming back to life as more shops reopen.

So far, traffic is light, which gives vendors time to adjust.

“You'll see a few walking by here now, but normally there would be 50 people in here at once and that's something else we have to think about. How many people are going to be allowed to come in?” says market vendor Diane Marks.

The city is asking visitors to follow safety guidelines, which include physical distancing.

“It has survived a lot and we are going to survive this,” says Marks.