The Kitchener Market’s building will likely remain closed to vendors and the public for several more months, but outdoor markets will continue in the meantime. A fire broke out at the building on King Street on July 12, leading to the building’s closure. On Friday, the City of Kitchener provided an update on what the weeks and months ahead might hold. “We know the impact of this fire reaches far beyond the building itself,” Andrew Sturgess, the city’s director of business growth and entrepreneurship, said in a news release. “Many vendors are dealing with business disruption, lost inventory and uncertainty about the months ahead, and those impacts are being felt by our local businesses and the broader community. The Kitchener Market is more than a building. It supports local businesses, brings people together and is an important part of our community. We understand the seriousness of this situation, and helping the Market recover as quickly as possible is our highest priority.” Although the city said the fire was contained to a relatively small area of the building, smoke, soot and other contaminants spread throughout the building. Extensive cleaning, remediation and restoration work will need to be completed before the building can reopen. “While we can’t yet say exactly how long the recovery will take, we know it will be measured in months, not weeks. Our commitment is to keep vendors informed, support them however we can, and move this work forward as quickly and safely as possible,” Sturgess said. In the meantime, the city has promised to continue hosting expanded outdoor markets to try and help vendors connect with their customers. The outdoor markets will be held every Saturday from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. However, vendors said the change is having an impact on their income. “Our egg sales are way down and the bills keep coming,” Loel Penner, co-owner of OK Egg Farm, said. When they were selling indoors, there were coolers to store Penner’s egg supply. Now, the company brings their product in a refrigerated truck. “We were doing at least $2,000 [in sales] in a week, or $2,500,” Penner said. “We’re down to maybe $1,500 to $1,700.” Other vendors said the move outdoors has been even worse for business. “I’m a meat vendor, so I’m selling meat and 80 per cent of my products – freshly cut and sell sliced meats. Deli. So right now, I’m not able to sell anything,” Laura Wager, owner of Meatarian Inc., said. Vendors also have to remove all their supplies from the building by Aug. 19. “We have three coolers than need to come out,” Penner explained. “That means we’re going to have to pay the cooling company to come in with their equipment, move everything out. But we have no place to store anything.” The city said they will not be charging the vendors rent while the repair work continues. Officials believe the fire started at a vendor’s stall and foul play is not considered to be a factor. A damage estimate released earlier this month pegged the cost at $50,000.
