Saint John City Market rings in 150th year with refurbished bell, renovations

The Saint John City Market is marking its 150th anniversary.

Over a span of 150 years, the Saint John City Market has survived everything from a massive city fire to several global pandemics.

To mark the milestone, celebrations are being matched with a series of changes meant to ensure another 150 years of sales at Canada’s oldest continuously operating farmer’s market.

A rebranding of the market was recently unveiled, featuring the city’s historic bell and the tagline “a daily tradition since 1876.”

The bell itself, which is rung at the start and end of each market day, has just been refurbished and placed in a more visible area.

John Hooper’s “Time Piece” sculpture, which for years sat at the entrance of Market Square, will soon move to the City Market, becoming a centrepiece of the main area.

New merchants in the market have opened, or are about to, and a new seating area will soon be built on the market’s main floor.

“We really like the idea of having that indoor eating area so people can be in the market, and they can see what’s going on,” says Andrew MacDonald, the City Market’s manager. “They can see their pals, their pals can see them, and also we can have that hustle and bustle in the main area.”

Construction of the new seating area means removing the centre aisle that runs through the market. MacDonald says work to relocate the vendors that occupy the aisle is ongoing. He says the market has been communicating with those vendors, who are providing input on the plans.

MacDonald says the City Market’s evolution has a lot to do with changes in how people gather and shop.

“The way people spend their money is very different now,” says MacDonald. “We’re really looking at how we can capture the most people in this space and have the locals back in this space as much as possible.”

Anniversary events will be held in the weeks and months to come, with a larger celebration planned for later this fall when renovations are scheduled to be finished.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Avery MacRae

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