'It's like a family': St. John's Farmers' Market celebrates 15 years of community building

Winifred Ohwoka sells brightly coloured crafts made from Nigerian fabrics nearly every Saturday at the St. John's Farmers' Market. She can't count how many times she's held a booth at the market, a place she now adoringly refers to as "home."

"It's like a family, you know," said Ohwoka, the owner of Signage Clothing & Crafts, who moved to the province in 2016. "Like you're home."

The St. John's Farmers' Market celebrated its 15th anniversary Saturday, with vendors selling items from fresh vegetables and homemade desserts to jewelry and artwork.

Lori Greene, one of the market's original founders, says the market was always meant to be an incubator for local businessand it has stayed true to that objective for 15 years.

"Our slogan was 'Make It, Bake It, Grow It,'" said Greene. "Right from the very beginning, we made that our main purpose."

Building community

Greene says longtime customers of the farmers' market may remember its humble beginnings, when a variety of vendors would sell local produce at the Lions Club off Bonaventure Avenue.

Visiting the farmers' market was a family affair, says Green. On Saturdays, children would play in a nearby park while parents and other patrons sat on a grassy lawn, eating plates of locally made food.

It's something St. John's residents Tracey and Robert Mills remember fondly. Their children were babies when the farmers' market opened, and the couple has tried to pop by every Saturday since.

"It's a regular Saturday tradition," said Robert.

"It feels like a true community," said Tracey. "Everyone's just so happy to be here and enthusiastic about what they're doing."

Emily Hunt, also known by many in the St. John's community as theWaffle Lady, was one of the market's original vendors. Although the market lost its outdoor space in 2017 when it moved to its current location, the former Metrobus building on Freshwater Road, she says it hasn't lost its intimate spirit.

"One thing that hasn't changed is the community support," said Hunt. "That's always been amazing."

Support for new Canadians

Along with supporting local businesses, Greene says something that makes the St. John's Farmers' Market so special is the assistance it provides to new Canadians.

Nezar Khalif moved from Syria to Newfoundland and Labrador almost eight years ago. He's a farmer with Murray Meadows Farm in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, and has been selling vegetables and other locally-grown produce at the market for three years.

He says it's a place where he can meet new friends, as well as improve his English speaking skills.

Salaheldin Bilila says he's one of the newest members to jointhe farmers' market family, as Saturday's anniversary was only his second gig as a vendor.

When he moved to the province from Egypt a year and a half ago, he realized no stores sold his favourite cake dessert, basbosa. He previously made the dessert for friends and family, but decided to turnhis passion for baking into a small business called Arabesque, which opened in March.

The market is a great way to introduce people to Egyptian culture, says Bilila, and he hopes the market will help his passion project become something bigger.

"I'm excited to be a part of this amazing family," said Bilila.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador