City to assume operations of River Landing farmer’s market

(Source: Gather Local Market)

The managers of a local farmer’s market at River Landing are turning over operations to the city next month, citing financial constraints.

Gather Local Marketplace, which operates out of the farmer’s market building at 414 Avenue B South, announced the move in a post on social media Friday.

“After dialogue and collaboration with the city, both Gather and the city have determined that the city will assume operations of Gather on an interim basis until [a request for proposals] for a new operator can be issued,” the post said.

“Gather does not come by this decision lightly,” the non-profit said in its public letter Friday.

“It ultimately believes that it was the right entity to launch the market. However, the market now requires a different operator to reach its full potential.”

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The building, once a garage for the city’s defunct electrical plant built in 1939, was home to Saskatoon’s first brick and mortar farmer’s market, which opened in 2007.

The Saskatoon Farmer’s Market Collective was the original operator of the site, but in 2020 it moved to a location on Koyl Avenue near the airport as city council sought a tenant that could keep the facility active six days a week.

Gather, run by Ideas Inc., took over the site in 2024. It runs an indoor market five days a week, with a seasonal farmer’s market every Saturday that extended to the outdoor public square in the summer.

Now, the city will again search for a new operator for the building, which it owns.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the city is “disheartened at this turn of events.”

“The community celebrated the opening of Gather Local Market in Spring of 2024 following years of planning and renovation of the Farmers’ Market Building,” the statement said.

“The city was excited that a tenant would finally animate the revitalized space.”

The city told CTV News it negotiated lease terms for the building that were designed to ensure the potential for Gather Market’s success, but the non-profit has “not been able to fulfill its negotiated lease agreement terms and financial obligations.”

Gather says “financial and operational constraints” placed a “significant strain” on its limited resources.

It says the decision was guided by a desire to ensure a successful future for the tenants that currently occupy the indoor market.

“These tenants are the heart and soul of the market. They are the small businesses that make this city great and the entrepreneurs worthy of support in our community.”

The city says it will continue to work closely with Gather to support the current vendors during the transition period.

It will officially take over operations of the market on May 8, with a new request for proposals expected to be released by autumn 2025.